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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23252743">I Have Felt You Calling</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrian_kres/pseuds/adrian_kres'>adrian_kres</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fate &amp; Destiny, Forgehusbands, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Romantic Soulmates, Sex, Slow Burn, So I'm giving it to him, alucard deserves better, post season 3 fixing, that season hurt so much</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:22:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,430</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23252743</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrian_kres/pseuds/adrian_kres</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It had taken too long to get here and now it was too late. Sonia emerges from the woods and her heart sparks with a rage that burns itself out into a deep sadness. The castle was a sorry sight. How could they just leave him here with all this? She trembles, her sadness shifts back into anger giving her whiplash. She knew it wasn’t right, but she blamed them anyway. If they hadn’t left, this never would have happened. The two bodies impaled at the castle gate are crawling with flies. They wear nightgowns, which is weird, and ominous. She knows they must have died for a reason but whatever the reason, it wouldn’t have happened if Trevor and Sypha hadn’t left. </p><p>Sonia Belmont is a Seer and Blood Mage, and the true last of the Belmonts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Original Female Character(s), Alucard | Adrian Tepes/Sonia Belmont, Alucard/Sonia Belmont, Hector/Isaac Laforeze, Sonia Belmont &amp; Trevor Belmont, Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Seer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTurtleFromHell/gifts">TheTurtleFromHell</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is not canon-compliant in any way. Sue me. I love Sonia Belmont even if she’s been retconned and in this story she is an OC borrowing the name. There are elements from the games in this but it is based on the timeline of the animated series. Also, I have made up a ton of shit. And there’s a Blade reference lol. </p><p>I am dedicating this fic to  <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTurtleFromHell/pseuds/TheTurtleFromHell/">TheTurtleFromHell</a> for being awesome as hell, a dope mutual, and the person I can count on to have the best takes on Castlevania.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <hr class="castleend"/>
</div>It had taken too long to get here and now it was too late. Sonia emerges from the woods and her heart sparks with a rage that burns itself out into a deep sadness. The castle was a sorry sight. How could they just leave him here with all this? She trembles, her sadness shifts back into anger giving her whiplash. She knew it wasn’t right, but she blamed them anyway. If they hadn’t left, this never would have happened. The two bodies impaled at the castle gate are crawling with flies. They wear nightgowns, which is weird, and ominous. She knows they must have died for a reason but whatever the reason, it wouldn’t have happened if Trevor and Sypha hadn’t left.<p>She touches the face of the impaled woman and disgust runs through her. Sonia pulls her hand back and falls to her knees, vomiting onto the ground. Her long brown hair trails along the dirt having fallen out of it’s messy braid. The air is thick with the smell of dust and blood -and now vomit, lovely. She wipes her mouth on the back of her hand and moves to get up. Her eyes are scorching with rage. </p><p>“How could you do that to him? How could you betray his trust? After everything he’d done for you?” She shakes her head and spits out, “You deserved your death.” She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs, “Now it will be so much more difficult for him. Thanks, assholes.” She spent too much time in town before coming here and it was starting to get dark. </p><p>She turns around to walk back, she needs time to think. A new plan must be created, a new approach. The forest is quiet around her save for the sounds of nature and the rustle of leaves and dirt beneath her feet. Her shoes almost drag along the ground from how exhausted she is. Images flood her mind and she tries to shake them off but it’s difficult. The betrayal. <i> In that way.</i> To violate an act of intimacy and trust and for what? Nothing. </p><p>Fool. Pathetic, moronic, fool. </p><p>It’s dark by the time she arrives at the inn. The woman behind the desk stares at her, bewildered.</p><p>“I know I said I was leaving. Something came up.”</p><p>The woman shrugs, “As long as you’re paying.”</p><p>Sonia hands over some coins. “I’ll be staying for at least a week. It might be more but I’ll let you know.”</p><p>“Same room?”</p><p>She nods once.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <hr class="castlemid"/>
</div>In the morning she heads back to the castle, better prepared now. It takes a moment to steel her nerves before approaching the bodies again. She knows what to expect but the feelings of disgust are the same as yesterday. Sonia sees the woman, Sumi, disrobe as if she was in the room with them when it happened. She listens but does not dare to look around. If she catches sight of him -it will be too much.<p>The body impaled at the other end of the gate is also in the vision. So, they both fucked him and then tried to kill him. She removes her hand and tries to cough out the sour taste in her mouth. The smell of his burning flesh from the chains of silver they used takes a while to dissipate. She holds her stomach and braces herself, widening her stance so she doesn’t fall over -consequences from lingering too long viewing with the dead. When the moment passes a sob works its way into her throat. She coughs again to rid her body of it. If she could, she’d kill them all over again.</p><p>Her gift feels like a curse in these moments. Wrestling with her logic and her body’s perception of time. Her mind has known countless moments. Things that were or could have been, things that are, and things that will be, all muddled and confused for her to pick apart when she feels rested. </p><p>She retreats to a moment that brings her peace. Her mind’s refuge and solace. The memory of something that has not yet come to pass. Her heart stills and her breath evens. She lets the memory wash over her, strengthening her resolve. Her whip hangs at her side and she reaches down to touch it, deftly running her fingers over the thorns. It’s another comfort, another ritual to settle her mind for the task ahead. </p><p>“I must speak with you,” she says, in the direction of the castle, knowing the one she wishes to speak to is not ahead, but behind. </p><p>There’s a rustle and the sound of footsteps as Alucard emerges from the forest. “You should leave this place.” He walks past her, casually, and stops at one of the corpses. Placing a hand on its shoulder, he gives it a shove, impaling it further. For show.</p><p>Sonia is undeterred. She watches him walk up the steps to the castle for a moment, “I knew your mother, Adrian.” Her voice echoes in the trees. It carries in the wind and Alucard shudders softly, imperceptibly. </p><p>He stops but does not turn around.</p><p>“I have news, also, of Sypha and Trevor.”</p><p>At this, he turns around. “How do you know those names?”</p><p>She looks at him, takes him in. The scar on his chest is barely visible above the cut of his shirt. Silver burns criss cross his arms. She has no doubt those markings extend further, but they are healing well. His hair is limp and his eyes-God, his beautiful eyes-are flat and lifeless. “I know a great many things, Adrian.” She does not move but her eyes trail down to his mouth and the fangs hidden beneath his lips. </p><p>He takes a step and suddenly he is before her, baring his teeth. The sudden movement causes the loose hairs in front of her face to flutter. She does not flinch. She has seen this moment occur and it is not a surprise to her. It is, however, a surprise to him. </p><p>She’s an entire head shorter than Alucard. If they were so inclined, she could place her head on his chest and let him rest his chin on her hair. He stands there with his fangs out and she merely looks up at him. He makes a silly face and closes his mouth. Intimidation attempt gone. </p><p>“Are you going to invite me in?”</p><p>He hesitates, says no, and then turns to walk back up the steps to the castle. </p><p>She smiles as he leaves, “I will come back tomorrow, Adrian. I will come back the day after that as well. I have a right to be here.”</p><p>He stops again and sighs, “Come again?”</p><p>“Your fa-, your castle is on top of my ancestral home. I have a right to be here.” She walks away, back into the forest, toward town.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <hr class="castlemid"/>
</div>As promised, she arrives at the castle gate as the sun breaches the horizon. This time, she does not stand there. Instead, Sonia walks around the castle searching for the trapdoor that leads into the Belmont Hold. She finds Alucard standing on the wooden elevator waiting for her.<p>“Who are you?” He asks, holding the lever hostage. </p><p>She looks at him again, sees him. It makes her stomach hurt. If only he knew how loaded that question could be. “My name is Sonia,” she says, “Sonia Belmont.”</p><p>Alucard frowns. “Another Belmont? I thought Trevor was the last one.”</p><p>She sighs and rolls her eyes minutely, “He’s the last <i>male</i> Belmont, yes. I’m his cousin. The actual last Belmont. Trevor is older than I.” </p><p>Alucard’s frown deepens, “How did you survive the purge?”</p><p>“I’m a seer. I see the past, always; I see the present, sometimes; and I see the future, when it’s willing. I know what you’re going to ask me next. ‘How do you do that, Sonia?’ Right? Technically you’re going to say, ‘How did you know that?’ Yes?”</p><p>He stays frowning, “Lucky guesses.”</p><p>She laughs. “They are actually. I don’t know what you were going to say, it doesn’t work that way. It works through touch.”</p><p>A look of understanding flashes across his face. “You touched- the bodies... You touched the bodies yesterday.”</p><p>She nods and adds quietly, “I am sorry for what they did to you. You did not deserve that. I felt their intentions, it was disgusting. I feel no sympathy for them, even though logically one would think I would...” </p><p>Alucard looks away.</p><p>“They took advantage of your loneliness. It was beyond cruel. I saw- I saw only what I needed to see. I did not see you, if that helps. I did not see -the act, only the aftermath.” She doesn’t add that she <i> chose</i> not to see him. That to see him like that would kill something inside her. </p><p>“It doesn’t. Why are you here?” He still does not look at her.</p><p>Another loaded question.</p><p>“I could ask you the same.” She lifts the hood of her cloak over her head. The sun had risen high enough to be a nuisance. “Are you going to let me into the hold? Or just stand here all day baking?”</p><p>Alucard pushes the lever and Sonia has to jump onto the elevator. She shoots him a glare and then feels guilty. She shakes it off. <i>Remember why you’re here. Don’t forget yourself or your time. </i>The elevator creaks it’s slow descent into pitch blackness. Her heartbeat speeds up as shadows of the hold’s contents become visible. Portraits of Belmonts past hang on the walls. Sonia recognizes some of the faces. If she can touch the portraits…</p><p>The elevator stops, shaking some debris loose from the walls. Sonia grabs a torch and lights it with magic, leaving Alucard alone on the elevator. She lifts it to get a better view of her surroundings. “This place… the air is-,” she chokes out a cough, “-suffocating. I can taste its history, its memories.” Energy swims around her and it feels like drowning. A psychic drown like words and voices overlapping one another, clawing at her head, fighting to be at the forefront. Her mouth tastes like ash. </p><p>She reaches into her satchel to grab her wineskin, filled with water, and drinks deep, eyes closed. She holds the wineskin to her chest, almost hugging it. “Away, all of you,” she whispers, “there will be time for all, I promise.” The voices stop and her mind retreats to that solace, that memory. Soon. It will happen soon. She refrains from looking at him though it breaks her heart. “Not soon enough.”</p><p>The hold is enormous. Despite not being here in some years, Sonia’s memory of this place is sharp. She hits the switch on the wall activating the lights. It’s just as huge as she remembers. Rows upon rows of bookshelves, weapon cases, armor cases, sculptures, paintings, and artifacts, all in various states of disarray. There are sections that look untouched but those are few. She sighs. It was going to take an eternity to clean this up. </p><p>Her arm feels tired from holding the torch so it starts to sag a bit. She places the torch in an empty pot and moves forward to grip the balcony. The world clears as she enters the past and she sees her cousin wielding the Vampire Killer against a demon. She smiles. Trevor, her family, her blood. Still going strong. He drinks too much but she can pardon him that offense; the life of a demon slayer isn’t easy. The life of a Belmont wasn’t easy, and now there are none. She sees Sypha and laughs. She was amazing; moving the castle around like that? Incredibly admirable. If Sonia didn’t know better she’d probably develop a crush. She thinks about meeting her one day and her smile falters. The news. She had forgotten about the news. Her hands feel heavy and she turns around with a sigh. “Adrian. There are things you should know.”</p><p>He was standing in the doorway, watching her. She had felt his eyes. Under normal circumstances this would have been a great sign. Right now, though… She has to push the thought away. There’s no room for any of this no matter how badly she wants it to be. She has the luxury of knowing the future. It makes evaluating your priorities easier, sometimes reluctantly so. </p><p>Alucard approaches her, his gait steady. His movements are graceful and powerful no matter what he does, unfair. And why does he insist on wearing such tight-fitting clothes? It’s like fate <i>wants</i> her to-</p><p>“What are these things I must know?”</p><p>“Huh?” She’s staring at his chest. “Right. Things.” She turns around again, her face flushed, and scratches the back of her head. The only advantage to being small was accidentally making eye contact with someone’s cleavage -and being underestimated. The second one is always great in fights. The first one? Just a fun bonus.</p><p>She grips the balcony again, it’s starting to splinter. She’ll have to replace the wood soon. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. What if she didn’t tell him? She shakes her head. Honesty is of utmost value, especially now. She braces herself, “A cult tried to bring your father back from Hell and your mother is there with him.”</p><p>“What did you just say?” His voice is deep. A regular person might have missed the slight tremble in it but Sonia hears it. </p><p>She grips the balcony tighter. Their lives were not destined to be easy. There will be reprieves here and there. Temporary quietness and calm. This, she understands, is one of those moments. Sad as it may be. “They did not succeed. Trevor and Sypha stopped them but…” she trails off. </p><p>Alucard moves closer until he’s next to her at the edge of the balcony. “But what?”</p><p>She looks up at him. His face is impassive, staring straight ahead. His eyes are glossy. “They stopped the cult but not before they burned the souls of an entire village in sacrifice. It’s a heavy price to pay, bringing Dracula back to this earth. It’s a shame those who want him are not the ones who pay it.” The last part she says mostly to herself, though she knows Alucard will agree with her. “Sypha and Trevor fought incredibly -you would have been proud of them.” She waits until he meets her eyes. “They are alive. Shaken to their core, but alive.” His eyes are desperate, searching, they want to believe she tells the truth. Sonia knows it is not easy. Not after a betrayal. Especially the kind he has endured. </p><p>She lets herself get lost in his eyes just for a moment before turning away. “They will return. Do not ask me how I know these things; I cannot give you a concrete answer other than I have seen it. They will return and our work will begin.”</p><p>“Our work?”</p><p>“Yes. I am here because Carmilla is still alive and because she, and all those that follow her, deserve a slow and painful death.” <i>I am here because I refuse to let you die. </i></p><p>Alucard chuckles, “Oh, is that all?” </p><p>She blinks at him. He really is amused by this, isn’t he? She recognizes that look. She never expected it from him though she’s seen it in others, time and time again. It feels like a betrayal, though she knows that’s completely unreasonable. “Don’t patronize me, Daywalker,” she scoffs and walks down the steps into the hold. </p><p>The Belmont Hold is arranged like a bullseye, books at its center, weapons around the books, armor around the weapons, and artifacts around the armor and against the walls. “God, you three really made a mess of this place didn’t you?” She walks to the center and picks up a tattered volume. The book falls apart in her hands. She makes a face. “The world’s most comprehensive library on the things that go bump in the night, reduced to this.” She holds up the broken book and waves it in Alucard’s direction before dropping it onto the floor. “It’s a good thing that one is mostly outdated.” She searches among the piles of papers and rubble, tossing things in multiple directions, creating other piles. Alucard stares at her. She can feel him there, not moving, just staring. </p><p>At some point he must have teleported closer to her. <i> Fucking vampires. </i>His stare makes her skin warm and she stops sorting when the heat of his gaze becomes too much. She snaps up, “Can I help you?” It comes out a lot angrier than she intended. Perhaps his patronizing tone earlier struck a nerve. Her mind flits to her calming memory. It has the opposite effect now, making her blush and queasy. She stares at Alucard’s forehead to not make eye-contact. </p><p>“What are you doing here?” He asks, leaning against a sagging bookshelf which collapses under his weight. Sonia glares at him and he- smiles? Sheepishly? She shakes her head. </p><p>“I told you why I’m here.” She continues to sort. The timeline in her head is not perfect but there’s a text that must be found before other pieces start to move. She sighs and tosses another book to the side. All things that must happen, will, in their own time. Impatience is foolish and a waste of energy. She looks up at Alucard. It couldn’t hurt to stop and speak to him, could it? If what will be, will be? Her eyes move to the silver burns on his wrists. She wants to hold him and tell him everything will be ok but he doesn’t know her yet. She hesitates, “You want to know about your mother.”</p><p>He crosses his arms. “You said she was in Hell.” </p><p>She nods. “I’m sorry. She doesn’t belong there. I’m trying to figure out why she’s there. The answer is somewhere in these books in this area here.” She motions around her. </p><p>Alucard continues to stare at her and it continues to make her nervous. When she first saw him yesterday she felt strange, like she was seeing an old friend for the first time in a long time. Now that they’re down here, together, and she can see him -really see him, it starts to make sense. Her good memory, the one she clings to when she needs to center herself -it makes too much sense. She can’t decide what is better. To not know who your soulmate is and have a relationship blossom organically, or to know and feel responsible for making sure it blossoms? Surely other seers have encountered this situation, but she knows of none. Maybe there will be something in the books?</p><p>“Sonia, are you alright?”</p><p>“Hm?” It’s so hard to look at him in the eyes.</p><p>“You were staring into space.”</p><p>“Sorry about that.” She sits on the floor to go through more books. </p><p>Alucard sits next to her and she gives him a side-ways glance and pauses with a book in her hand ready to be tossed. Maybe she’ll get used to this soon, it’s starting to become a problem. </p><p>“You were going to tell me how you know my mother is in Hell.” He raises an eyebrow. </p><p>“Ah,” she drops the book, “I was, yes. I’m sorry,” she shakes her head, “I haven’t spent a lot of time around other sentient creatures lately.” Her face warms, he’s too close, <i>again</i>. She scoots away, trying to be casual. He frowns and opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again. It’s probably for the best.</p><p>Her emotions feel out of control. She knows things and feels things that have not yet occurred. It’s so real to her. She knows what it’s like to kiss him, what it feels like to run her fingers through his hair. She knows what it sounds like when he says- <i>Snap out of it, Sonia.</i>She grits her teeth. He’s going to think she’s absolutely batshit. Another sigh, “Adrian, this isn’t going to make sense to you but, you can’t get too close to me.” Saying it out loud is physically painful. Her heart hangs heavy in her chest. </p><p>Alucard says nothing. She doesn’t dare look at him. She doesn’t want to see what he thinks of her in his eyes. Taking a moment to collect herself, Sonia twiddles with the hem of her cloak, touches the whip at her side again. “I met your mother when I was a girl. She was the only one who understood what I was.”</p><p>Alucard interrupts her, “<i>Who</i> you are. My mother would never refer to a child as a ‘what,’ that wasn’t who she was.”</p><p>That gets her to smile a bit and look at him. Lisa was the kindest person she’d ever met. “You’re right. She knew who I was and what I was capable of. She’d had you already, when I met her, she told me about you.”<i> I touched her and saw her fate, and yours.</i> “You and I are the same age, oddly enough, born on the same day.” <i>Stop getting ahead of yourself.</i> </p><p>“And what day would that be?” There’s something in his voice Sonia can’t place. The words came out calm but the energy is -wrong somehow. Angry. She wonders for a moment if he’s trying to intimidate her again.</p><p>Sonia blinks. There is no reason to fear him. It had never occurred to her to feel fear. How could she? All she knows of him is what Lisa had told her and what she’s seen. Why should she be afraid? <i>Should</i> she be afraid? If he’s trying to intimidate her it won’t work.</p><p>“I am not afraid of you. You were born 20 years ago, in April. It was raining. Your father brought tulips to your nursery-bright red ones-in a blue vase.”</p><p>“What kind of game are you playing?” The words are still calm but angry, and his face is inches from hers.</p><p>Sonia doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe. She does not feel fear, he’s just too close. There’s anger in his eyes, and hurt. It makes her want to cry, seeing him like this. She wants to reach out but can’t. He is not- He’s too close. Tears well up and cluster at the edges of her eyes. Her hands are tight fists strangling the edges of her cloak. “I see you,” she whispers, “You’re too close. I told you not to get close to me.” Her voice comes out choked and the tears fall. She can’t help it.</p><p>His face moves closer and she topples backward, catching her fall in a sort of awkward kneel with her hand behind her. </p><p>He’s calm. He doesn’t yell or raise his voice. “And why not? You come here, make these outrageous claims… You say things I have no ability to verify. You say you are not afraid and yet you-” </p><p>She scrambles to her feet abruptly and cracks her whip behind her. <i>That was too close.</i> Her heart is pounding and her vision blurry from tears. Control must be regained. </p><p>The sound of the whip echoes in the Hold and she summons a tiny fire in her left hand. She holds and watches him move away from her in a graceful leap backward. Alucard’s Crissaegrim shoots forward of its own accord and Sonia blocks it with another crack of her whip. The thorns embedded in her weapon skew the sword's trajectory and it flies behind her, forcing her to change position with a jump.</p><p>“I don’t want to fight you!” She drops the whip and lifts a protection barrier around herself. In the Hold, the collective knowledge of her family strengthens her and her blood magic, but not indefinitely. </p><p>The Cissaegrim returns and bounces off the barrier hitting the floor with a clang. Alucard is nowhere to be seen. She waits and listens but if a dhampir doesn’t want to be heard, they won’t be. “Adrian, I don’t want to fight you. I asked you not to get close to me and you disrespected my boundary. You won’t hurt me -you can’t in this place anyhow.” <i>Shit.</i> It probably would have been a good idea to put up a barrier before she started talking. Then this whole mess might have been avoided. “You were right. I did tell you things you have no way of verifying, except your birthday. But I know your mother told you it was raining the day you were born. She told me so herself. She used to tell you your eyes were golden because they held the sun -that the sun was reborn in you. Am I wrong?.” No answer. </p><p><i>What if he left?</i> She stands there waiting, looking around. She doesn’t need to concentrate too hard on the barrier, the psychic energy of the Hold could probably keep it up until the last human on earth drew their final breath. She listens and waits for any sign, the smallest noise, the faintest shift in-</p><p><i>There.</i> She can feel his eyes on her again. He didn’t leave. Her breathing is heavy and laden. If she allows the barrier to feed off the Hold alone she won’t be able to move it. If she keeps it up herself she’ll collapse. She reaches down and collects her whip, slowly rolling it up and securing it in its holster, then sits cross-legged on the ground. The barrier doesn’t need to move, she decides. “You know, this barrier works both ways.” She lifts a book from the floor and tosses it. It bounces off the barrier and thunks onto the ground. She continues talking.</p><p>“I passed through Lindenfeld on my way here. The whole town was destroyed. I saw what happened there. A cult used a night-creature to open a gateway, the infinite corridor, and the creature searched for your father. Trevor and Sypha fought back the hordes that escaped while it was open. A man, I don’t know his name, he jumped into the corridor to seal it. I saw your father holding your mother in his arms.</p><p>“Trevor and Sypha will be here soon. They want to tell you what they encountered. They know you have the right to be aware of it. I am not sure if they saw your mother or not. They will come soon. You’ll see.”<i> And then maybe you can start trusting me.</i> </p><p>The Crissaegrim flies off to the right. She turns to her left and Alucard appears, the Crissaegrim returning to its sheath. <i>I see you.</i> “If you don’t mind, I’m going to keep the barrier up while we talk.” She takes her wineskin and drinks more water, it feels refreshing to her tired body.<i> Guess I’m out of practice.</i> The wineskin stays in her hands and she uses it as a focal point. He sits in front of her, resting his hand on a bent knee. She talks to the wineskin, “You mother should not be in Hell. She was excommunicated and burned at the stake, but those things are meaningless acts. The authority of the Church is meaningless when corrupt. When a soul is weighed and judged it goes to the right place. Someone <i>put</i> her in Hell.” She does not look at him.</p><p>“I apologize for disrespecting your boundaries.” It sounds sincere. “But how can I trust your words if you do not look me in the eye?” The anger in his voice is gone. She doesn’t want to trust it.</p><p>“It’s alright. You’ve been through enough.” It’s too easy to forgive him. “Adrian, has anyone ever lied to you while looking in your eyes?” She asks, still to the wineskin. She thinks of Sumi and Taka and nausea hits her. <i>‘We want to give you a reward.’</i> Her eyes sting with the threat of tears again and she holds her stomach.</p><p>He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Fair enough. I will ask more questions. How did you come to meet my mother?”</p><p>She glances at him but looks down quickly. “When I was four, your mother passed through my town. They said a doctor who learned forbidden magic from the Lord of Darkness himself was there. My adoptive mother took me to see her in secret. Four-year-olds weren’t supposed to know the things I knew: Who would die soon. What the neighbors were hiding in their attic. Who my adoptive brother’s real father was… She wanted your mother to fix me. </p><p>“Your mother was searching for a gift to give your father. I told her this when I met her and shook her hand. I told her she would find what she was looking for in the next town over. She made my “mother” leave to speak to me alone. Told me I had a gift and that it was nothing to be ashamed of. She said she had a son my age whose eyes were gold like the sun. She asked me if I wanted to go back with her.”</p><p>“Why did my mother never tell me of this?” </p><p>Sonia shakes her head, “I don’t know the answer to that. I wanted to go with her.”<i> I wanted to be with you.</i> “When I touched her hand-” she falters and thinks for a second, choosing her words carefully, “I have changed fates before. Did she tell you about the night-creatures that she managed to outrun outside of Styria?” The tears that threatened to fall earlier do so now, freely. Each one burns as it rolls down her cheek. One tear for every fate she has changed. She sneaks a glance at him. He’s breathtaking no matter what he does. <i>God, I’m so fucked. </i></p><p>“Keep talking,” he says gently.</p><p>“If I would have gone with her, I would have slowed her down. She would have been killed and never made her way back to you or your father. There is so much you do not know. I changed her fate and changed the fate of the world that day.” </p><p>He narrows his eyes, “What do I not know?”</p><p>Sonia laughs, it’s delirious. She’s suddenly aware of her exhaustion and rubs her face. “It’s not yet time for you to know.”</p><p>“Convenient.” Alucard has not moved from his spot a single inch. </p><p>She’s too exhausted to argue. Her voice is deflated. “I didn’t think it would be this hard. If I would have arrived sooner… Do you really think it’s convenient for me to withhold information that might help me earn your trust faster?” </p><p>“Why is my trust so important to you?” </p><p><i>Oops. </i>Her posture collapses. “I’m tired. Will you let me go back to town so I can rest? Sypha and Trevor will be here in a few weeks. He’ll know me and so will she. Perhaps they can convince you.”</p><p>“Convince me of what?” </p><p>Lord above, he was really trying her patience. She throws her head back and sighs, “You are not an idiot. Stop acting like one.” I see you. </p><p>Alucard has something that might pass as a soft smile on his face. “You may leave. You have my word I will not harm you.” </p><p>She smiles and corrects him, “<i>Attempt</i> to harm me.” She gets to her feet shakily. “You could never harm me, Adrian, and you never will.” She dusts off her pants and stretches her arms out. The barrier falls like rain, evaporating as it hits the ground. It leaves something like a stain on the flooring, a faded brown color that smells faintly of blood. </p><p>The ribbon holding the end of her braid had come undone. She takes it out and shakes her hair loose then rubs her scalp. Alucard is staring.<i> God, he must think I’m a total freak. </i>She wants to look at him again. Pathetic. She imagines telling him the truth and feels sick. </p><p>“You really aren’t afraid,” he states. </p><p>Her hair flows in soft waves around her shoulders. She pulls it back and ties it into a loose ponytail. <i>How can I be afraid of someone I love.</i> She looks up at him and sees only confusion and no hint of familiarity in his eyes. Her heart squeezes. She won’t be able to take much more of this before breaking down. “I could never be afraid of you.” His look of confusion deepens. </p><p>He stays a respectable distance from her this time as they walk to the elevator. It’s dark when they emerge. Sonia puts up her hood and makes her way to the forest with a quick good-bye.</p>
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</div>Back at the inn, Sonia trudges up the stairs to her room and falls onto the bed. The emotional exhaustion is worse than the physical one, she concludes.  In the safety of her solitude she wraps herself in the memories she holds most dear.<p>She presses her hand to her lips remembering a first kiss. They were 17 and sitting on a blanket in a field of red tulips outside of Dracula’s castle. It was a warm day and a light breeze pushed wispy clouds across the sky. In the sunlight, Adrian’s eyes were like pools of warm honey. He asked her if he could. She blushed and said yes. It was soft and chaste and perfect. But that kiss never happened. <i>Destinies change.</i></p><p>She pulls her cloak around her and draws up her knees to her chest. Her lips tremble and she sobs into her pillow. Instead of happiness, at 17 she was stealing and foraging to survive, training her body to fight, learning magic, crying bitterly over the life she should have had. The life she and her family deserved. Everything was tainted and stained with loss and violence. </p><p>She cries herself into a dreamless slumber, curled up and alone.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Family Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Trevor and Sypha are back.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr class="castleend"/><p>Sypha and Trevor are still in shock when they arrive in town. Having killed another night creature before entering, they’re exhausted and in desperate need to rest. Even so, Trevor’s first stop is the tavern. Sypha chastises him but follows inside anyway. Maybe a drink after what they’ve gone through isn’t a bad idea. They pay for a room at the inn nearby and proceed to drink. A few locals join them, thanking them for slaughtering the demon that plagued their town. After a few more drinks, the locals divulge how another young couple recently came and went straight into the forest looking for Dracula’s castle. </p><p>Trevor frowns, his mug is empty, “Did they say why they were going there?”</p><p>A young fisherman shrugs, “No. They just asked where the castle ended up. We pointed to the forest and off they went.”</p><p>Sypha and Trevor exchange looks. </p><p>“Thanks for the beer, mate. If we find any more night creatures we’ll take care of ‘em for you.” Trevor claps the fisherman on the back before walking out with Sypha in the direction of the forest.</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>Arriving at the castle gate is yet another shock. </p><p>“Alucard…,” Sypha breathes. </p><p>Trevor’s hand flies to his whip instinctively. “Why are they wearing nightclothes?”</p><p>Sypha moves forward slowly to cross the gate with her hand outstretched, “This is extremely troubling… Maybe it’s a glamour?” Her hand comes into contact with a magical barrier that lets her slip past. She hums in thought. “This is a protection barrier. Only those pure of heart and mind can cross it.” </p><p>“So then what’s with Vlad the Impaler’s decorating?” The hand over Trevor’s whip tightens a bit.</p><p>“I’m not sure, but we should look for Alucard.”</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>Sypha crosses the barrier with Trevor behind her. Both pass without any resistance. </p><p>Trevor calls out immediately upon entering, “Alucard!” They sensed no danger, the place was deserted just how they left it.</p><p>“Alucard!” Sypha cries. They make their way carefully from the great hall to the smaller areas at the fringes, the dining room is empty, the breakfast room is empty, the tea room is empty -this was going to take forever.</p><p>The kitchen at least has some signs of life. Sypha can tell the oven has been used recently and Trevor finds empty wine bottles on a counter with fresh droplets of wine at the bottom. </p><p>“Someone has at least been eating in here,” Sypha says. She turns to leave through the main door and stops. “Trevor, come look at this.” In her hands is a yarn doll that had been crafted to look like her, “You have one too.”</p><p>“Holy shit, we should not have left him here. He’s gone bloody mad.”</p><p>“I resent that.” </p><p>Alucard’s voice makes them jump. </p><p>Sypha tosses the doll back onto the cabinet. “Alucard, what is going on? Are you alright? Why are there bodies impaled outside? Why does the castle have a barrier?” Trevor places a gentle hand on her shoulder, noting the pain in Alucard’s eyes. </p><p>He gives them the weakest smile they’ve ever seen, “It’s good to see you both.”</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>It was serendipitous they should arrive shortly after the unwanted guests had been killed and a suspicious new outsider had shown up. Alucard studies their gaunt faces. They had definitely gone through something. Thinking about it made him tired. They were never not tired.</p><p>He enters the kitchen and grabs a bottle of wine. The supply is dwindling having lost so many during the siege. He moves to place the bottle on the table but grabs two more, giving each of them their own, and sits. Sypha and Trevor follow suit. </p><p>No one speaks. Who should go first, they wonder? Alucard takes a long drink from his bottle then crumples in his chair. </p><p>“I need you to tell me something only Sypha and Trevor would know. To make sure this isn’t some type of illusion.”</p><p>Something in Sypha’s heart cracks. Guilt? She thinks carefully. “You killed your father… in your childhood bedroom,” she offers. </p><p>It was the truth. He had indeed killed his father and no one knew of that. It was also largely irrelevant. Alucard needed time to make sure he caught their scents. An illusion would have no scent and they smelled like Sypha and Trevor. Oddly enough, Trevor also smelled like Sypha and Sypha smelled like Trevor. For some reason Alucard finds it absurd that they’re sleeping together even though on some level it makes sense. They balance each other out, brains and brawn, as it were. Though Sypha was a powerhouse on her own and Trevor a brilliant strategist. Maybe it wasn’t so ridiculous after all.</p><p>His mind accepts it easily after that, “How nice for the two of you.”</p><p>“Well, we wouldn’t have been much help, I tried punching your father and it was like punching marble-” Trevor doesn’t get to finish.</p><p>“The two of you are sleeping together.” </p><p>“Alucard!”</p><p>“Sorry, Sypha, you smell like each other. And you haven’t bathed in God knows how long. Luckily this castle still has functional plumbing. I’m sure the two of you would like a hot bath.” He talks to them but looks at the bottle in his hand, rolling it gently on it’s edge.</p><p>Sypha’s mind is reeling, she doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Alucard, whose bodies are outside?” </p><p>“People who tried to kill me. I will say no more on it.”</p><p>Sypha nods, unsure if he even sees it. “Is that why you placed a protection barrier outside the castle?”</p><p>He looks up when she says this. “Protection barrier? What kind of protection barrier?”</p><p>Trevor rubs his face, “So you didn’t place it then?”</p><p>“It keeps those of impure heart and mind out of the castle. I thought it was overkill to place a barrier and also impaled bodies. It was done with blood magic so only a Tepes or a Belmont would have been able to place it. Alucard if you didn’t place it then…,” Sypha trails off. </p><p>“Can you verify it? Can you verify if it was a Belmont?” Alucard feels a small glimmer of hope.</p><p>“Not while it’s standing. I would need for it to be lifted in order to know for sure.”</p><p>“Alucard, what the hell is going on?” Trevor is not drunk enough for this.</p><p>“A woman claiming to be a Sonia Belmont visited me today. She told me the two of you were on your way here. That you’d fought a cult trying to bring my father back from the dead. That my mother- Is any of that true?”</p><p>“Well that was fucken easy. We didn’t have to say shit. Yes, it’s true. Lindenfeld was a fucked up place and now everyone’s dead. -You said a woman came to you claiming she was a Belmont?”</p><p>Alucard nods. “Follow me.”</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>In the Hold, Sypha inspects the residue left by Sonia’s barrier spell. She confirms it was cast by a Belmont. “The spell around the castle takes an inordinate amount of energy so either a Tepes or Belmont cast it, counting on the spiritual energy of the prior inhabitants of this place to keep it active,<i> or</i> the mage was incredibly gifted. This barrier was definitely cast by a Belmont; the spiritual energy matches Trevor’s. If that barrier and this barrier were cast by the same person then that person is of Belmont blood.” </p><p>Trevor collapses onto a chair. He was really and truly not drunk enough for this. “Another Belmont? I need to sleep.”<br/>
Sypha is too curious to feel tired anymore. “Alucard, what was she like? Is she anything like Trevor?” She’s almost giggling.</p><p>Alucard is thoughtful. “She’s… stubborn.”</p><p>He says nothing more. Sypha stares at him, expectant. “That’s it!? Alucard! What does she look like? Does she carry a whip like Trevor?”</p><p>Trevor’s eyes light up at that. “<i>Does</i> she carry a whip?”</p><p>Alucard hums in surprise, “She does, actually. It’s different from yours. It’s green with a red handle -and it has thorns. And she doesn’t look like you. Not even close.”</p><p>“A whip with thorns? Hold on.” Trevor takes off to another part of the Hold leaving Sypha and Alucard behind. </p><p>Sypha shrugs at Alucard. “So if she doesn’t look like Trevor, what does she look like? What is she like, besides stubborn? That’s a Belmont trait and we know all about it.” She’s smiling.</p><p>It was good to see her smile; Alucard could trust it. Sypha and Trevor were family and they would never hurt him. His tensed shoulders relax a bit. </p><p>“She has tan skin and her hair is brown. She-” he remembers their fight, “She has good mastery of the whip she wields, and she’s no stranger to diversion tactics. My misdirection didn’t work on her.”</p><p>“You fought with her?”</p><p>“Yes- she asked me not to get close to her and I didn’t listen. I tried to scare her but-”</p><p>“You scared her! Of course she fought with you!”</p><p>“No, Sypha, she wasn’t afraid of me. She told me not to get close to her and I <i>tried</i> to scare her but I couldn’t smell any fear on her. It was more like… being close to her made her  <i>sad</i>?</p><p>“She blocked when my Crissaegrim lunged at her and then we talked through the barrier she put up. Apparently Carmilla is still alive and she knew the two of you were coming here. Then she asked to leave and said she’d be back tomorrow.”</p><p>Trevor returns then, slightly winded and hunches over to rest his hands on his knees even though the chair he was using is right there. “The Rose Stem Whip is gone. Only Belmonts can wield it.”</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>When Sonia rolls out of bed in the morning her head feels like it’s been stuffed with cotton. Her mouth is dry and her eyes are swollen and red. She hadn’t cried like that in years. Physically she feels terrible but emotionally she feels lighter, unburdened. She hadn’t bothered to change out of her clothes before collapsing into bed last night which adds to her discomfort. </p><p>She orders water for a bath and washes her clothes afterward, donning fresh clothing from her bag. Her boots need conditioning soon or they’ll start to crack. She frowns. There’s always something. </p><p>Downstairs, there’s a slight commotion. She heads down to get something to eat and overhears two locals gossiping about some recent arrivals. </p><p>A vegetable merchant was talking excitedly to an older man by the tables. “I’m telling you! The man went straight to the bar the minute they arrived. His wife looked upset but then she joined him! Drank him under the table! And then they just left! Didn’t even sleep in the room they paid for!”</p><p>The older man shook his head, “I saw them heading into the forest. Hopefully they don’t come back. We don’t need any more drifters bringing trouble and by the looks of ‘em, trouble follows.” </p><p>Sonia walks toward them and “trips” grabbing the merchant’s arm to steady herself. The brief contact is enough to see through his eyes. </p><p> <span class="courier"> A rugged-looking man with a whip and a woman with short cropped hair in a blue smock walk into the tavern. </span></p><p>“Ah! So sorry gentlemen! I must not have slept well last night! My deepest apologies!”</p><p>Sonia dashes back to her room and gathers her satchel and whip, carefully concealing the weapon under her green cloak. She tears out of the inn and takes off into the forest in a brisk run. They’re early! They’re early by weeks! I must have miscalculated! We are running out of time!</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>She lets out a sigh of relief as she reaches the castle. Her barrier is still in place so she heads toward the Hold. </p><p>Inside, the lights are on. She stays on alert, walking toward the balcony, gripping the handle of her whip. She’d either miscalculated her cousin’s arrival or a destiny was changed. Either way, it feels like swimming in the dark. She has no idea what to expect.</p><p>She peers over the balcony and sees Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard sitting at a table. They stare at her and Sonia can tell Trevor is speaking but she can’t hear him. When she reaches their table Trevor speaks first. “Holy shit, you’re the spitting image of my Aunt Helena.” </p><p>Sonia frowns, “My mother’s name was Maria.”</p><p>Trevor smiles back at her, “I never had an Aunt Helena.” Sypha smacks him with the back of her hand.</p><p>“I verified the girl was a Belmont as did you, why did you test her?”</p><p>“Just because she’s a Belmont doesn’t mean she’s trustworthy,” Trevor scoffs.</p><p>Alucard chuckles, “That’s true. God knows why I ever started trusting Trevor.”</p><p>“Fuck you.”</p><p>“Shut up, you two.” Sypha turns to Sonia, “Would you like to sit? I have questions.”</p><p>Sonia walks over and sits at the other end of the six-seat table. Alucard is at the head with Sypha and Trevor on either side of him. </p><p>Trevor clears his throat, “Right, I take it you’re still maintaining a healthy distance from our gracious host?” Alucard gives him a side-eyed glare and Sypha smiles gently. Sonia wonders what Alucard told them about her.</p><p>“Yes, I am,” she hesitates, “Adrian, is it still alright to continue my research today? I can come back if you want to catch up.”</p><p>Trevor and Sypha turn to Alucard and speak in unison, “Adrian?”</p><p>Alucard rolls his eyes, “Yes, that is my name. No, Sonia, you do not have to leave. I’d actually prefer if you didn’t.” Her heart leaps. “We have too many things to discuss.”</p><p>
  <i>Ah, right. How foolish of me. </i>
</p><p>Trevor starts talking again, “Sonia, how did you survive the purge? You must have been a baby then.”</p><p>“I was. My parents were killed but my mother had hidden me as I slept. I was found two days later by a woman who decided to keep me. She told me this later and I was able to see the rest of it when I returned to my original home on my travels. You and I met once, when I was about a month old.”</p><p>“That checks out.”</p><p>Sypha’s head snaps around to him, “That’s it? Mr. Just-Because-She’s-A-Belmont-Doesn’t-Mean-She’s-Trustworthy?” She’s almost gaping at him.</p><p>“Yeah, I mean, I did meet a baby cousin when I was about, five or so. And then I was orphaned shortly after that. Timeline makes sense and she looks exactly like my aunt. Plus, the blood magic and the whip.” He waves his hand and lounges crookedly in his chair. </p><p>Sypha shrugs and looks back at Sonia. “Sonia, Alucard tells us Carmilla is still alive?”</p><p>“Yes. She’s back in Styria with her generals and is holding one of Dracula’s forgemasters captive, the weaker one, Hector. Isaac is on his way there to fight her. He remains loyal to Dracula but his intentions are shifting.” </p><p>The trio sit there in shock. Alucard asks her how she knows this. “And don’t tell me you can’t explain how you know. We are all aware of what you can do now.”</p><p>She nods. “I passed through Genoa after Isaac did. I met a merchant who spoke with him and touched his hand. I saw Isaac’s intentions.”</p><p>“Right. So you touch people and see their future? Here, do me.” Trevor reaches a hand out. </p><p>Sonia recoils slightly, “I might not see your future but I will see something. Are you sure you want me to try?”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>Sonia places her palm over his hand, gasps, and then covers her face. </p><p>“What!? What did you see?” The trio share a look of panic with each other.</p><p>Sonia collapses in giggles, “You and Sypha are <i>very</i> close.”</p><p>Sypha starts laughing and Trevor blushes. “Ok, this meeting is over.” He gets up and starts to leave the hold. Sypha chases after him.</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>It was probably the most fun she’d had in months.<i> Wow, that’s sad.</i> Sypha’s laughter was still echoing in her mind for a few minutes after they’d left. She was pleased. They seemed alright despite the horrors they’d just encountered. It was important to hold on to those moments of fleeting happiness, since they were few and far between. </p><p>Sonia is still smiling in the direction they left when she remembers Alucard is still here. Her stomach growls and she feels a little faint. Alucard looks like he wants to say something. Her cheeks warm. They’re far enough from each other that she can let herself have a good look at him. <i>I see you.</i> His energy is up and his eyes are not so lifeless anymore. Having Trevor and Sypha back has really done him a lot of good. Her soul breathes a small sigh of relief. </p><p>“You’re hungry.” Alucard’s eyes have the faintest hint of concern in them. </p><p>It makes Sonia’s heart leap and thud furiously.<i> Jesus, if he shows even the tiniest bit more concern I think I’ll have a heart attack.</i> “Sypha and Trevor are early by several weeks. When I found out they were here I just skipped breakfast and ran as fast as I could. Have you eaten already?”</p><p>Alucard looks startled at the question. “I haven’t, actually. When we woke up this morning we came down here immediately to wait for you.” He pauses. “Would you like something to eat?”</p><p>“That would be very nice. Thank you.”</p><p>They sit there for a few seconds, unsure of who should move first. Sonia stands and Alucard gets out of his chair too fast, bumping his knee on the underside of the table. He stifles a yelp and Sonia looks away, blushing. “Lead the way?”</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>Sonia stays three to four feet away from Alucard at any given time. She feels ridiculous if she thinks about it too much but it’s the only way to stay unflustered and semi-coherent. Sypha and Trevor are in the kitchen eating some bread when they walk in. Trevor is already tipsy.</p><p>“Alucard,” he holds out the puppet version of himself, pouting, “why did you make them the same size? Sypha is smaller than me. My puppet can’t hug her puppet properly.” </p><p>Sypha comes around to hug him from behind. “Aw, is my deformed bear feeling sentimental?”</p><p>“I am neither deformed, nor a bear,” Trevor says, with a hint of hurt in his voice.</p><p>Alucard shakes his head and turns to Sonia. “If I’d have known they were practically on my doorstep I would’ve hidden the damn things where they’d never find them.” He shrugs and walks over to the counter to cut pieces of cheese and some bread. </p><p>Sonia feels awkward, she’s only ever been here in her visions. The kitchen is bright and aesthetically different to the rest of the castle. She wonders what other surprises the place holds. After placing the food on the table Alucard waits for her to sit before doing so himself. <i>Cute.</i> Aside from the fight they had yesterday, she finds his actions directly in line with everything she’s seen of him. </p><p>She lets herself drop her guard just a little and enjoys watching Sypha tease an almost drunk Trevor. Sypha is funny. Trevor is oddly sentimental when inebriated, pouting and telling Sypha she’s great. It feels strange, being around people who aren’t horrible, for a change. When Lisa Tepes was killed Sonia felt it and sympathized with Dracula. Had it been Alucard burned at the stake -she doesn’t want to think about it, but there would have been carnage. Sonia knew it would have stopped with those responsible, however. Not all of humanity was to blame even if most people she encountered were terrible. There would always be people like Lisa. When she felt like giving up on humanity she would work twice as hard to remember the names of all the people who were good. It was easier to remember the bad. It must be some type of survival mechanism, she figures.</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>After eating, she and Alucard return to the Hold while Sypha and Trevor leave to “make sure they didn’t forget their shoes somewhere.” They were wearing their shoes.</p><p>Sonia returns to the section she was in yesterday, still searching for a specific text on soul-channeling. She doesn’t know how long Lisa has been in Hell but every second in there must feel like an eternity. She shudders, how could someone have the power to change what God Themself has placed? How could someone move a soul from Heaven to Hell? Was no one safe even in the afterlife? She finds 6 separate books on soul-channeling and carries them over to a table. Alucard is flipping through the pages of an enormous leather-bound book on the different sections of Hell. She places the stack of books near him and sits in the chair catty-corner. Not too close but still close enough to feel somewhat normal.  </p><p>“What did you find?” He asks, not looking up.</p><p>“Soul-channeling books. If a human being did this, they’d first have to summon Lisa’s soul before moving it. I’m hoping one of these books will give me a hint as to how it can be accomplished and then proceed from there.”</p><p>He looks up this time, “Why didn’t I think of that?” He asks, mostly to himself.</p><p>Sonia smiles, “Do you think-</p><p>“What if-</p><p>Both reach for the blue book at the top of Sonia’s stack and their hands brush.</p><p>
  <span class="courier"> In an instant, Sonia sees herself looking into Alucard’s eyes as he gently caresses her cheek and says her name.</span>
</p><p>The vision is over faster than it began and shocks her like a slap to the face. She reels backward, knocking herself over, chair included.</p><p>Alucard rushes over to her but stops abruptly before getting too close. He looks conflicted. Sonia's heart is beating too fast, she feels like she's suffocating. </p><p>Alucard panics, "Sonia, what did you see?"</p><p>She rolls to hide her face. Emotions and intentions gleaned from her visions can be overwhelming but the ones involving Alucard or herself are always more taxing. The ones involving them both flood her with something so powerful she feels physically strangled. Her heart feels like it’s going to burst into flame, consuming her until there’s nothing left. </p><p>It takes a while to catch her breath and her eyes lock with Alucard’s. <i>I see you.</i> She scrambles to her feet and runs out of the hold just as Sypha and Trevor arrive, leaving them to stare at her in bewilderment. As she exits, the only sound she hears is Sypha’s voice asking Alucard what happened.</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>Sonia runs as far as her legs can take her into the forest. She stops near the bank of a river and doubles over, her lungs burning as cool air is pushed through by her gasps. A downed log makes a passable seat for her and she sits not knowing what else to do. Her hand moves to brush hair out of her face and wipe her wet eyes. <i>More tears.</i> Her breathing is erratic with sobs and the occasional cough. </p><p>The rushing water of the river brings back another non-memory: splashing in a creek with the sisters who never got to be born. Sonia was the eldest and shortest, Charlotte would have been the youngest and the tallest. In her non-memories, Victoria, the middle one, would proclaim she was the only normal-sized Belmont sister. It surprised her how deeply she could care for people who never got the chance to exist. </p><p>“Are you crying?” Trevor’s voice is surprised. For some reason this is funny to Sonia who chuckles lamely.</p><p>“That seems to be all I can do lately.”</p><p>Trevor hums absentmindedly and sits next to her on the log, slapping his legs. They stare at the water together in comfortable silence until Trevor starts, “I remember meeting you, believe it or not.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Mhmm,” he nods, shuffles his feet a bit, “You were born early. Uncle Victor was afraid you weren’t going to make it.”</p><p>“You were so young; how could you remember that?”</p><p>“I’m not sure. I remember a lot of odd stuff.” He stretches and cracks his knuckles. “I told Uncle Victor I was going to train you and we were going to have adventures together, fight vampires, regular family stuff.”</p><p>They laugh.</p><p>“That’s accurate actually.”</p><p>“How do you wager?”</p><p>She scratches her head; this was going to be difficult to explain. “When I was old enough to really understand what was going on with me, around 11 or 12, I started looking for my home. When I found what was left, I went through every single piece of, whatever, to get information. I figured out my name, my real name, my real surname. I saw a lot of things. The worst were the things that could have been but never occurred.”</p><p>“Things that could have been but never occurred?”</p><p>“Mhmm,” she nods, “things that didn’t happen but should have.”</p><p>“That’s fucked.”<br/>
“You have no idea,” Sonia says, kicking a rock into the river. “I saw you and I saw my two sisters. It took awhile before I figured out you were actually alive.” She smiles at the memory, “I’ve never cried so hard in my life. Well, aside from yesterday and today.” Trevor chuckles but Sonia looks away quickly, her face goes dark, her tone serious, “The weapon they used to stab my mother was dropped outside. When I picked it up I saw the Church had a Seer in its employ. The four of us, you, me, Victoria, and Charlotte, were destined to expose their corruption, with the help of Lisa and Adrian. They couldn’t have that, so they started all the rumors that led to the end of the Belmont family.”</p><p>“Holy fucking shit. You picked up all that from a knife?” Trevor stares at her, incredulous wouldn’t even begin to cover it.</p><p>Sonia huffs out a weak chuckle and sniffles a bit. “This river connects to a little creek somewhere downstream. We played in it as children. Or at least we would have.”<br/>
Trevor is stunned into silence until he notices Sonia is crying again.</p><p>“The would-be memories are painful, I imagine?”</p><p>Her voice is breathless, “Unbelievably so.”</p><p>The gears in Trevor’s mind start turning, “You’ve seen Alucard in your visions as well?”</p><p>She nods.</p><p>“And yet you and I can sit next to each other just fine but with him-”</p><p>“It’s different, Trevor,” she says suddenly. She prays he doesn’t look at her face which is starting to redden.</p><p>“Why would it be different?”</p><p>She looks up at the sky and laughs.<i> I can’t believe this is happening.</i> “You're going to think I'm crazy."</p><p>"Nah, crazy is a hereditary trait for us Belmonts. We fight demons for a living and two weeks ago I saw a vampire I helped kill holding his wife through a portal in Hell. I don't think there's anything-"</p><p>"I’m in love with Adrian. I’ve been in love with him for years.” </p><p>Trevor sighs softly, “Jesus Christ,” he pinches at the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. </p><p>It feels good to finally say it out loud to someone else, even if it’s strange. The burden is lighter.</p><p>Trevor starts to laugh softly but it evolves into something boisterous that has him holding his stomach and practically tearing. </p><p>Sonia frowns, incredulous, her eyes are almost bulging from confusion. "Why is that so funny?"</p><p>"Ah, Sonia," he claps a hand on her back, knocking a shocked smile out of her, "I thought you were gonna say something horrible. That's so tame."</p><p>She's shocked, "Tame? What-"</p><p>"Yes! Tame! <i>We fight demons and almost die regularly. </i> Your biggest problem is that you're in love? That's fucking incredible. Although not as incredible as someone actually being in love with Alucard. You know he's a spoiled twat, right?"</p><p>She frowns. </p><p>Trevor waves his hands in front of him, "Alright, alright, I won't say anything bad about him in front of you. </p><p>“Have you told him?”</p><p>Sonia scrunches up her face at him, “No?” </p><p>“Why the bloody hell not? I need a drink. Come on, you need one too.” He stands up and holds a hand out to her which she takes hesitantly. He pulls her to her feet and they start walking back to the castle.</p><p>“Why would I tell him?” There is no logic she can find to this.</p><p>“Why not? I take it everything you’ve seen of him is what made you fall in love?”</p><p>“Not exactly.” This was going to be harder to explain.</p><p>“Sonia, you’re not a very good communicator. I think that’s also a Blemont trait. Sypha has gotten me to open up more but I find it easier to listen than to speak so, speak.”</p><p>“Adrian and I have fallen in love over different timelines. It’s supposed to happen in this one too but things keep shifting and all I get are glimpses of what it’s like <i>after</i> it’s happened. I have no idea <i>how</i> it happens.” Sonia decides not to comment on just how open she knows Trevor has been with Sypha.</p><p>“Why don’t you just tell him about the past then? Or rather, what was supposed to happen in the past, or present? Whatever. That way the awkwardness is out in the open and you can see if anything happens naturally.”</p><p>“I didn’t think of that. If he never develops feelings for me then at least he’s spared guilt or something.”</p><p>Trevor doesn’t like the plan much anymore but he doesn’t get the chance to voice his opinion. As they reach the steps to the castle front, Sonia stops in her tracks at the sight of the bodies. “Trevor, did Adrian tell you what those two did?”</p><p>He frowns, “He’s being secretive. Told us they tried to kill him but who tries to kill someone in night clothes? I suspect it’s more complex than that but we didn’t want to push him. You know what happened?”</p><p>“Unfortunately. Don’t ask him about it again, please.”</p><p>He nods.</p><p>Sonia raises a brow. She didn’t expect Trevor to agree. She wonders if trusting easily is another Belmont trait or if that comes with the years of loneliness. She looks at the castle and feels like throwing up. </p><p>“I don’t think I can do this.”</p><p>“Sure you can. I’ll be here for you no matter what, and so will Sypha. Besides, you can’t go around pining for someone forever. Sooner or later they’ll figure it out or they’ll die before you get the chance to tell them anything. We don’t have the luxury of waiting.”</p><p>Sonia thinks about this for a minute. What would change really? If she tells him, he knows, and she’s embarrassed. If she doesn’t tell him, he doesn’t know, and she’s still embarrassed. </p><p>“Ok, let’s do this.”</p>
<hr class="castleend"/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you all enjoyed it. Maybe you caught some of my references lol</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Confession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi I'm Sypha and my family makes me mad sometimes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr class="castleend"/>
<p>Trevor and Sypha watch in bewilderment as Sonia runs out of the hold clutching her chest. Alucard is still at the bottom looking up at them. He’d debated running after Sonia but decided it was not a good idea since he was the root of the problem. It left him feeling conflicted.</p>
<p>He walks up to meet Trevor and Sypha at the balcony, visibly agitated, and Sypha asks what happened. “I’m not sure. She saw something that troubled her and then tore out of here without telling me anything.”</p>
<p>Trevor starts to walk out, “I’m going after her," giving Alucard a look he doesn’t want to think too carefully about.</p>
<p>Sypha nods,“When you find her, bring her to the kitchen so we can talk. It’s almost time to eat again anyway.”</p>
<p>Trevor waves and heads out of the Hold.</p>
<p>Sypha motions to head back down and Alucard follows, “What do you mean by ‘she saw something?’ Did she have a vision?”</p>
<p>“I believe so. We touched by accident and she knocked herself backwards pulling away from me.” He looks at his hand as if the answer might be there.</p>
<p>Sypha inspects the table they sat at like the scene of a crime, she taps her chin. “What were you thinking before she touched you?” After Sonia’s display of power with Trevor, he and Sypha had talked and she began to develop a theory. Alucard asks for clarification. “When Sonia touched Trevor he was trying so hard not to think about me that he ended up thinking about me. Sonia said her visions reveal actions but also intentions. I’m thinking that’s why she saw something about me when she touched Trevor. What were you thinking about; maybe that will help narrow it down?”</p>
<p>“I don’t think so.” He says this so quickly Sypha is immediately suspicious. “Humor me, please.”</p>
<p>He waffles for a second, “I can’t because I wasn’t thinking of anything in particular. We were talking about the books and she said something clever-”<br/>
“And then?”</p>
<p>“And then nothing, she’s a smart, pretty woman, what’s bad about that?” He waves his hand nonchalant-like and looks away.</p>
<p>Sypha’s eyes grow three sizes and she gives Alucard an enormous smile, “You think she’s smart and pretty!”</p>
<p>“Shut up.”</p>
<p>Sypha giggles, “I am just teasing you. I don’t think that’s bad either; are you sure you weren’t thinking of something else?”</p>
<p>He shakes his head.</p>
<p>“Perhaps my theory is wrong.” She shrugs, “That or she just really hates you; it could be that.”</p>
<p>Alucard hums his approval.</p>
<p>“Alucard, I'm joking," she laughs. "Maybe she’s cursed? I once met a woman who was cursed to experience extreme pain whenever she thought about frogs. She loved frogs so it was a terrible curse-“</p>
<p>“What does that have to do with anything,” he asks in exasperation.</p>
<p>“You didn’t let me finish. Maybe Sonia is cursed to feel pain whenever someone likes her.”</p>
<p>“I don’t <em>like</em> her, she’s appealing to the eyes and not a fool.” Alucard has his arms crossed like a petulant child. With everything they’ve gone through, Sypha forgets how young Alucard actually is. At 20 he is still naive about many things, his own feelings included.</p>
<p>“Wow, a true romantic. Let me give you some advice. If you ever decide to go down this road and explore your feelings, I would suggest you think about how you described her to me when Trevor and I first arrived. Shall we go?”</p>
<p>Alucard keeps his arms crossed and says nothing. Eventually he nods and they start the walk back.</p>
<p>Sypha is also not a fool. It is clear to her that something is amiss. She sneaks furtive glances at him as they walk, trying to start an uncomfortable but necessary conversation. “Alucard, the bodies at the gate... You said they tried to kill you? What happened?”</p>
<p>Alucard is defiant, “Nothing, they tried to kill me and I killed them first.”</p>
<p>“They were wearing bedclothes.” Sypha is not backing down. “What type of assassin wears a nightgown to kill someone?”</p>
<p>He caves, but only a bit. “The kind that tries to seduce you first.” He leaves out how successful they were and how hard he tried to keep from killing them.</p>
<p>“When Trevor and I arrived the townsfolk told us another couple came through here looking for the castle. Was it them?”</p>
<p>Alucard starts to walk a little faster, “I don’t want to talk about it, Sypha.”</p>
<p>She decides not to press but is still saddened by it. “I’m sorry. We should not have left you here alone. I should have made you come with us. There’s a number of protection spells we could have placed on the castle-”</p>
<p>“It’s no matter. What’s done is done. I do not accept your apology as it is not necessary. We are family and the two of you are here now.”</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>Trevor has poured out 3 glasses of wine and placed them on the table as Sypha and Alucard arrive. He drinks his “share” straight from the bottle but puts the bottle down sheepishly when Sypha gives him a look.</p>
<p>“Er, Sypha, here, you too Alucard. Um,” he points to Sypha and to himself, “Sypha you and I should go. These two need to talk.”</p>
<p>“You figured out what the vision was about, I take it?”</p>
<p>“Something like that.”</p>
<p>They leave the other two alone, Sypha proclaiming she’s hungry, and Sonia dissociates into the floor.</p>
<p>“Sonia,” -Alucard’s voice is soft and she cringes internally with the not-memories of him saying her name like that- “do you want to sit down?”</p>
<p>She nods. She doesn’t trust her voice just yet and sits in the chair directly in front of her. Alucard chooses to sit across from her with the table between them. <em>Considerate. </em> She opens her mouth and then closes it, she glances at him, looks away, grabs the glass of wine, downs its contents in a single chug, and starts having a coughing fit. <em>Great start! Fuck!</em></p>
<p>“Was the news that bad?” He’s looking at her with pity. It’s odd.</p>
<p>She shakes her head furiously. “No, I mean, maybe, I...”</p>
<p>“Take your time.”</p>
<p>
  <em>I’m going to die.</em>
</p>
<p>After she recounts what she told Trevor about their families’ joint effort in defeating the corrupt church, Alucard is aghast, “You learned all of that by touching a knife?” His eyes scrunch a bit. He’s impressed. Sonia wonders how he’ll take knowing she can read his face. She might keep that detail to herself, for now.</p>
<p>She nods then talks to the table, “Trevor said the same thing. But that isn’t the issue, Adrian.” She wants to cry again but the exhaustion keeps her from bawling, instead the tears just pour out by themselves while she talks. She stares at her hands and fidgets, “In that time, my family and I moved here because your family and mine had a common enemy. We lived here for a few years,” she looks up at him, her voice is trembling, “I-</p>
<p>“Sonia, wait,” Trevor stops her as he and Sypha burst into the kitchen.</p>
<p>“I felt your mother die, Adrian.”</p>
<p>Trevor and Sypha look at each other, confused. They hover around the door trying to decide if they should leave or stay. Trevor sits abruptly and Sypha puts her hand on his shoulder trying to act casual.</p>
<p>There is no going back now but Sonia knows what she’s doing. She hopes. She’s altered her plan last minute and prays that it helps. The bodies at the castle gate, the betrayers. After enduring something like that, how could Adrian trust her words? How could she be so selfish? Confessing her feelings? Feelings that can not possibly be reciprocated? Adrian was vulnerable. Confession could jeopardize their entire mission and worst of all, it could damage Adrian.</p>
<p>But if she doesn’t tell him now, she will have to tell him eventually and when she does, he might feel as if she’s been lying this whole time. She won’t put him through that.</p>
<p>Alucard is stunned at the news about his mother, “What?”</p>
<p>“When your mother died, when she was burned at the stake, I felt it.” The memory starts to burn at her skin. “Please don’t be alarmed.” She gets up from her chair and fills two buckets with water from the sink.</p>
<p>Alucard is not alarmed, he’d barely shown Sypha and Trevor how the plumbing in the castle worked last night. Such knowledge was not yet widely known in Europe. “You <em>have</em> been here before, even if not physically.”</p>
<p>She nods at him then dumps a bucket of water over her head, drenching her from head to toe. She takes the second bucket and places it in front of Trevor, “You will know when.” The trio is too intrigued to say anything.</p>
<p>Sonia sits back down, “Adrian, tell me to stop if it gets too painful.” She kicks the floor so her chair slides backwards and her wet clothes start to steam. Her eyes fall closed and she lets her head hang down, her arms limp at her sides.</p>
<p>Trevor gets up, “Sonia, what-” Sypha stops him, “Wait-”</p>
<p>Sonia’s breathing stops for a second. Trevor reaches for her but her hands grab the ends of her chair and her head snaps up to the sky, her eyes have rolled back in her head and she pleads, “Don’t hurt them. They don’t understand…They don’t know what they’re doing. Be better than them. Please!” Her clothing catches fire and Trevor immediately douses her with the bucket. Sonia’s eyes close again and she slips off the chair. Trevor drops the bucket but Alucard catches her before she can fall. <em>Ah, that’s what she meant by don’t be alarmed.</em> He’s careful not to touch her skin and hands her off to Trevor. Alucard’s expression is odd, reluctant.</p>
<p>“We should lay her down, follow me.”</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>Sonia is unconscious so they take her to a spare bedroom that is still intact. Trevor feels uncomfortable leaving her alone there to rest but the three of them need to talk.</p>
<p>The bedroom is large with an enormous bed up against the back wall. To the left are tall bay windows overlooking the forest. A table with four chairs and an overturned silver water vase sits in front of the windows. Trevor sets the vase aside and moves the table to the other side of the room, closer to the door and Sypha and Alucard move the chairs. When they’re comfortably seated Trevor levels a question at Alucard. “What happened back there?” It sounds like an accusation.</p>
<p>Alucard glares back at him. “Why don’t you tell me? The two of you came in to stop her.”</p>
<p>“I came in to stop her from making a mistake. I didn’t know she was going to-” he gestures vaguely, “What even was that?”</p>
<p>Sypha answers that question. She stares at Sonia, ignoring the two men arguing. “I’m not sure. It looked like soul-channeling except it couldn’t have been. Alucard, what did she say? Why are those words of significance?”</p>
<p>“They were my mother’s final request to my father as she died. The words he didn’t honor. We were researching how someone could send my mother to Hell when she should be in Heaven. I assume her actions are related to that.” His eyes get dark, “If you didn’t know what she was going to do why did you try and stop her?”</p>
<p>Trevor doesn’t want to lie to Alucard, not after what Sypha told him when they left him alone with Sonia. They don’t want to break his trust when it’s so obvious he is having trouble trusting anyone. <em> SHIT.</em> Sypha speaks for them.</p>
<p>“Alucard, she was going to tell you something we don’t think you should know just yet, so we panicked.” Sypha is afraid, she knows enough to determine he was assaulted, in more ways than one. The last thing anyone wants is to hurt him more.</p>
<p>“You’re hiding things from me.”</p>
<p>Alucard's hands are in fists, Sypha looks at them and her heart breaks. She feels sad for him. "We’re not, I promise. Trevor and I just found out today.”</p>
<p>He looks down at his hands when he notices her staring and unclenches them. “What was she going to tell me?”</p>
<p>“It’s not for them to say,” Sonia replies, sitting up to see them better.</p>
<p>Trevor practically runs to her, kneeling by the bed. “Sonia, are you alright? What happened?”</p>
<p>She gives him a toothless smile. It was nice to have a family. “I’m fine, but I need to talk to Adrian, alone. It will be fine I promise.”</p>
<p>He nods. He and Sypha leave.</p>
<p>She fidgets again, “I needed to show you how real my memories can be and what happens if I don’t suppress my power.”</p>
<p>“Why?” Alucard’s voice is low.</p>
<p>“Do you remember what I said about my sisters and Trevor? My non-memories? When we lived here, we spent a lot of time together… You and I spent a lot of time together.” She doesn’t look at him.</p>
<p>His brows draw together before his eyes widen in understanding.</p>
<p>Sonia’s heart starts beating faster, “We had years of an entire relationship. All of it is crammed inside my head in bits and pieces. It’s not chronological and I don’t know everything but there’s enough to make-” she looks up.</p>
<p>“-to make being near me painful,” Alucard finishes.</p>
<p>She nods at him.There’s pity in his eyes now. She’ll take it. Better pity than Adrian feeling angry or betrayed. “I know what happened to you. The last thing you need is a love confession from someone you don’t know but I couldn’t keep this from you. You will get only honesty from me. I promise you that.” She holds her hand over her heart.</p>
<p>“What did you see when you touched my hand earlier?”</p>
<p>“You touched my face and said my name,” she says, bluntly. Alucard squints in disbelief so she explains, “Visions of the two of us together are the most painful, if I dwell on them I feel like I’m being ripped apart. I’ve re-lived your mother’s death many times in an attempt to understand what happened to her. It’s practiced so I can control it. I always stop it before I can catch fire but I needed you to see.</p>
<p>“Every vision with you is fleeting. I can’t dwell on them or it might kill me, though I do focus on the weaker memories from years passed when-” she cuts herself off and looks down immediately. She’d spoken too much. Honesty was important but it still felt demeaning, laying her soul bare like that. Her face burns.</p>
<p>“When what?”</p>
<p>She hesitates and her voice gets soft, quiet, “When I feel alone or- if I see something awful. Whenever I need to feel centered.”</p>
<p>Alucard doesn’t know how to feel. When Sonia is at her most vulnerable she clings to her memories of him. This makes him feel a soft warmth spread from his heart to the ends of his fingertips. It’s nice; he wants more of it. His thoughts start to spiral. <em>Sonia thinks about him. Sonia is beautiful and talented. Sonia is strong and smart and <strong>in love with him.</strong></em> “Stay the night with me,” he declares.</p>
<p>She almost falls off the bed in shock. “What?” This is completely unexpected. She thought he’d be angry or hurt -not this. This is impossible. She asks him to repeat himself.</p>
<p>“Stay the night with me, please.” His voice has the tiniest bit of neediness. He feels pathetic.</p>
<p>Sonia was going to need an hour long soak in the river to gain back the hydration she’s losing from crying all the damn time. She was expecting a different response and had prepared herself for that, not this. It messes with her emotions. She imagines walking straight to him and claiming his lips the way she’s seen so many times in her head. She shakes off the thought. This cannot be real. She thought his vulnerability would mean he’d be quick to anger. Instead, it’s had the opposite effect. He’s numb and wants to feel. This was so much worse.</p>
<p>“Adrian… you don’t even know me.” Her voice is small. She feels hurt. How odd. All this time she was afraid of hurting him and instead she ends up hurting herself in brand new, unexpected ways. She slides off the bed, trancelike, and walks toward the door. She doesn’t look at him and prays he respects her need for distance.</p>
<p>“Sonia? Is that not what you wanted,” Alucard pleads, his voice almost a whisper.</p>
<p>Her body goes stiff and a choked noise works it way out of her throat. She wants him to know how much she loves him. But it would be for nought. He has no capacity to retain her love. It would be like trying to hold water with a sieve.</p>
<p>“Adrian, I-” <i>I can’t do this.</i> She gives him a watery smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”</p>
<p>Sonia leaves the room coughing out sobs and holding her stomach. She wants to throw herself on the ground and wail, then sleep for days.</p>
<p>When she finally gets back to the inn and lays herself on the bed, she contemplates death -which is ridiculous. She has work to do, lives to save. She just wants the pain to stop so she can do the work. This time she gets up and changes into her nightclothes to sleep under the covers. The sun is barely starting to set but she’s too tired to stay awake any longer. She prays for a dreamless slumber and falls asleep regretting not saying goodbye to Sypha and Trevor. She’ll apologize in the morning.</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>After an hour has gone by with Trevor pacing in the kitchen, Sypha decides she can’t take it anymore. “I’m going to check on them.”</p>
<p>“Sypha! You can’t, what if they’re- kissing, or something?”</p>
<p>She gives him a sideways glance, “They are not doing that, trust me,” and takes off down the hall. Trevor dithers a bit before following her.</p>
<p>Alucard is sitting at the table alone in the room when they walk in. “Um, where is Sonia, Alucard?”</p>
<p>“She left.”</p>
<p>Sypha wants to strangle him. “What do you mean, ‘she left’? What happened? Does no one in this place know how to communicate?”</p>
<p>Trevor walks over to him, “Mate, did she tell you or not?”</p>
<p>“She did and- I don’t want to talk about it.”</p>
<p>Sypha groans and Trevor wraps his arms around her.</p>
<p>“Sypha, will you wait for me in our room or something? I think Alucard and I need to chat about my cousin.”</p>
<p>“Fine,” Sypha walks out with her hands up in defeat, “Belmonts and Dhampirs…”</p>
<p>When he’s sure she’s out of earshot, he sits next to Alucard at the table.</p>
<p>“So, Sonia told you she loved you. How are you feeling about that?”</p>
<p>Alucard says nothing, his feet are incredibly interesting to him all of a sudden.</p>
<p>Trevor sighs, “I literally have nothing else to do so you might as well say something.”</p>
<p>Alucard is quiet for a little longer. He says softly, “I asked her to sleep with me.”</p>
<p>Trevor resists the urge to smack him. “Oh, bloody hell, the two of you are gonna kill me, you know that? That’s if Sypha doesn’t murder you both first.” Trevor covers his face with his palms and groans before looking at Alucard again. “Sonia, a person who you just met a few days ago, confesses her undying love for you and you what? ‘Great, Sonia, let’s go fuck out the details?’”</p>
<p>“Don’t be obscene.” His voice is still quiet, ashamed.</p>
<p>“Obscene? Sorry, you probably didn’t use the word ‘fuck’ but does it matter? The both of you have been through the shit. I know some of hers and some of yours but you didn’t think that maybe she’d like for you to get to know her before trying to bed her? Did you even consider how that must have made her feel?”</p>
<p>Sypha walks back into the room, “I know you told me to go but it’s too late I already heard everything so I’m sitting down.”</p>
<p>Trevor is scandalized, how did she trick him into thinking she was gone? <i>Speaker Magicians…</i></p>
<p>Sypha is worried, “Alucard, this is not like you.”</p>
<p>“She’s right. You’re a spoiled brat not a whore, and neither is my cousin.”</p>
<p>“Trevor!”</p>
<p>“Well it’s true.”</p>
<p>Alucard sits there, sullen. “I know Sonia is not a whore. That’s not- She is kind and intelligent. She fights very well. She’s beautiful and I- I was weak. I am weak.”</p>
<p>“Jesus, mate. I mean, did you tell her any of that?”</p>
<p>Alucard shakes his head. “I thought it but other words came out of my mouth.”</p>
<p>“We were only gone for a month, what the hell happened to you?”</p>
<p>“Trevor, stop. Alucard, you said to me that we are family. If you truly believe that then talk to us. Tell us what happened.”</p>
<p>Alucard starts to laugh, “I killed my father. I killed my father and I was left here with a broken castle and a dead family and my friends left. That’s what happened.”</p>
<p>Sypha knows guilt will get them nowhere but she still feels it. “That’s not all that happened, though, is it?”</p>
<p>He doesn’t want to talk about it. Alucard has spent days trying to forget. He just wants to feel normal again, or happy, or something. Not this empty void that won’t leave.</p>
<p>“Sonia knows what happened, doesn’t she,” Sypha asks.</p>
<p>He nods and gives in. The words come out rushed and it feels good to alleviate himself of this burden. “They came to train. They asked me for help. I wanted to help them. I only wanted to help them but they thought I was holding out on them or they got impatient or I don’t know. Everything was fine,” he pauses, his eyes water, “Then they came to my room one night saying they wanted to reward me and we…”</p>
<p>“The <i>three</i> of you?”</p>
<p>“Trevor, hush.”</p>
<p>“I let my guard down and they tied me up with silver chains.” Alucard lifts his sleeves so Sypha and Trevor can see his burn marks. “I pleaded with them. I didn’t want to kill them. We hadn’t really gotten to magic yet and they didn’t know about my Crissaegrim. They accused me of toying with them and then said they would kill me and take the castle. I slit their throats and impaled them outside to keep anyone else from- Sonia showed up a few days later. She was different. She didn’t want me to get near her… I felt a little safe. Then the two of you came and everything- it’s just overwhelming. I feel numb most of the time. When Sonia said she loved me it was- I felt- Maybe I wanted to replace those foul memories with better ones.”</p>
<p>Sypha hugs him, “Alucard... I am so sorry.” He lets himself be held. It was good to have a family again.</p>
<p>Trevor’s arms are crossed and he fumes silently for a bit. “Jesus Christ. Well, if we weren’t sure they deserved to die before we certainly are now.”</p>
<p>Sypha lets Alucard go so she can look at him, “Everything makes sense now. Alucard, Sonia loves you. She could never- take advantage of you like that. She knows how you’ve been hurt. This is a good sign.” She smiles at him, hopeful.</p>
<p>He doesn’t feel like it's a good sign but nods anyway. Trevor keeps moving back and forth from being upset at Alucard and feeling sorry for him. “I’m going for Sonia in the morning. She shouldn’t be staying at an inn; she should be staying here with her family. Then you can apologize properly.” He gets up and leaves.</p>
<p>Sypha stays behind and holds Alucard’s hand. “When we were in Lindenfeld, the town’s keeper asked us to investigate that cult. He died in the fight afterwards and asked us to burn down his house. We did but not before going inside. He… murdered children… and kept their shoes like trophies.”</p>
<p>Alucard is horrified. Sometimes, when he feels weak like today, he thinks his father was right.</p>
<p>“Trevor told me about a little girl he met when he was a child. One of his cousins. The shoes reminded him how she was killed along with the rest of his family. But that's not true anymore, so you can see where he's coming from, no?"</p>
<p>Alucard nods in understanding. “I don’t want to hurt her. I would like to know her. I will apologize in the morning.”</p>
<p>Sypha smiles. “Something tells me she isn’t going to accept your apology because she knows what you’ve gone through. You should apologize anyway, I think she’d appreciate it and so would Trevor. Good night, Alucard.”</p><hr class="castleend"/>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sometimes you think things are gonna go one way and they don't!<br/>This chapter was really difficult for me to write and that's why it's shorter than the previous ones. Ah! Sorry.<br/>Had to add this reaction from my <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTurtleFromHell/">beta and the person this is gifted to</a> because it's fucking priceless:<br/>me: omg is sonia gonna confess?<br/>sonia: literally catches on fire</p>
<p>I'm CRYING.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Moonlight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi I'm Trevor and I have very small self-esteem issues that are not relevant to this chapter but I'm saying it anyways.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr class="castleend"/><p>The morning light stings Sonia’s exposed neck but moving is out of the question. Was placing the bed here intentional given the east-facing windows, or did they have no choice due to the size of the room? The thought is a lot more pleasant than any she's had lately. </p><p>Twelve hours of sleep wasn’t enough; every muscle in her body feels tense and sore. The day stretches out before her but she wants nothing to do with it. Adrian is at the forefront of her psyche, as usual, though she tries her damnedest to push him out. The Adrian she 'knows' does not exist, she reminds herself. Her stomach hurts.</p><p>It takes two knocks at her door to make her get up. Sonia ignores the first in favor of staring at the shadows of tree leaves fluttering about the wall. The second knock finally gets her up but only because it’s Sypha. It's impossible to control how fast her heart starts beating in worry but it eases a bit when Sypha greets her, smiling.</p><p>Her immediate reaction is still to ask, “Is Adrian alright?”</p><p>Sypha's smile falters a bit. <em>Of course she would worry.</em> “I'm sorry for scaring you, Sonia. He’s fine. Trevor is downstairs. We want you to come stay with us in the castle; it doesn’t make sense for you to sleep here and walk to the castle every day. There’s plenty of space.”</p><p>“Is Adrian alright with it,” Sonia asks, chewing on her lip.</p><p>Sypha gives her a nod she hopes is reassuring. “It was Trevor’s idea but Alucard agreed it was better for all of us if you stay.”</p><p>Sonia nods, stepping back to let Sypha in the room. More and more, Sypha felt like family, despite knowing her only for a few days. Trevor was the brother she wished she'd had. Here they were caring about her well-being, helping her move to a new place. Isn't that what families did? </p><p>Gathering her things is quick work. The life of a traveller meant never settling in for too long at any one place. Nowhere feels like home. <em>Maybe the castle will, one day. </em></p><p>Sypha admires Sonia's whip while waiting for her to get dressed. “This is quite remarkable. How did they get the metal thorns to be green? I wonder what kind of metal was used."</p><p>"I tried to figure it out once but couldn't. I suppose it's a secret that must die with its creator.” She ties off her usual french braid and sighs, “I'm ready to leave, I think." The drumbeat of her heart increases annoyingly. </p><p>"Everything is going to be fine,” Sypha says, and Sonia wonders how obvious her nervousness must be. She grabs her bag and they meet Trevor at the front. Steeling herself for the inevitable lecture, Sonia says good morning to Trevor who responds with his own gruff greeting. The scolding is quick. Trevor sounds hurt. </p><p>"I'm sorry." Being accountable for other people's feelings is foreign but she doesn't dislike it. Trevor gives her a little nod and a smile and it makes her feel better. This is definitely what having a family is like. </p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>The room Sonia ends up in is the same room the trio brought her to after her pyromaniacal demonstration. She debates putting her things in the closet, unsure if she should or if it’s wise. The compromise is to leave her bag fully packed in the closet instead, and to hang her whip on a coat rack. She frowns. It looks stupid so she takes it down and puts it on a table instead. </p><p>The room was enormous with an equally massive bathroom to match. The plan to take the world’s most luxurious bath as soon as possible gets priority on her to-do list. Meanwhile, she surveys the rest of the room opting to launch herself onto the bed. It is infinitely more comfortable than what she was sleeping on back at the inn. It feels luxurious just as she imagines the bath will feel. Her sleep was so poor after Alucard’s confession,the softness of the bed lulls her into almost sleeping again. Before she can drift off, there’s a knock at the door. Bouncing off the bed to open it, Sonia jumps when she sees Alucard. The door swings open with a loud, grating creak and she steps back instinctively. </p><p>The wounds from their conversation are still fresh prompting her heart to sink into her stomach. It feels like a rejection seeing him here, beautiful and stoic -the bastard. He stares at her with those big sunshine-gold eyes and Sonia wills the door to slam shut. It doesn't and she’s too stunned to close it herself. If only her powers were also telekinetic. </p><p>"Sonia, I came to apologize,” Alucard says, softly. A soft blush pinks his cheeks and Sonia wonders how far the blush might reach. She gives herself a mental slap in the face, this is not her Adrian. A sickening embarrassment surfaces in its place.</p><p>It’s a struggle to look at him. It’s better that way. How could one look upon ethereal beauty without being consumed? Her hurt heart can think only of the uncomfortable interactions they’ve had: the patronizing look on the balcony, the lack of respect for her boundaries, every look of pity he’s given her. Hurt spreads from the ocean of her heart through the rivers of her veins until she feels sick again.</p><p>“I don’t feel like you respect me and that's unfair to you,” she blurts out. His shoulders drop and he opens his mouth to speak but Sonia stops him. </p><p>It takes all her strength to look at him and she ends up blushing. It really isn’t fair how gorgeous he is with his flawless complexion and sexy body <em>-get it together, Sonia.</em></p><p>Eye contact is impossible. "The you that I know does not exist. Parts of what I know have never existed and other parts don’t exist yet, they might not ever. I have accepted that.” The words provide much needed stability. She doesn’t want to cry anymore. Alucard looks dejected, hunched over slightly in the door frame. Now it was her turn to feel pity.</p><p>He’s hesitant and speaks with pauses, wringing his hands, thinking carefully. “Sonia, I would like for us to spend time together and get to know one another. I have been in a dark place for a long time. I didn’t handle things well yesterday. What you said made me feel something I haven’t in a long time and I was desperate to keep it. It was wrong. I would like for you to feel safe and happy. I would like to know you and for you to know me, if that is alright?”</p><p>A tiny spark of hope ignites in the space between them. Sonia takes a capricious step forward.</p><p>"Are you asking… to court me?” The surprise in her voice is almost mocking.</p><p>"Yes, I suppose I am," Alucard responds, with an equal amount of surprise. </p><p>The two of them smile soft laughter in their eyes. Pain almost forgotten (almost), Sonia adds, "In the spirit of honesty, I still feel like I need to stay several feet apart for the time being. If I get too comfortable I might accidentally kiss you without thinking and I don't want to hurt you or myself.” </p><p>Alucard thinks about kissing her and it knocks the wind out of him. He manages to whisper an, "Alright," and stands at the door, unsure. </p><p>The urge to jump him is too strong; it is time to leave and work on research. </p><p>“I’m going down to the hold to read. Would you like to join me?”</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>Six books and two bibles later, Sonia finds nothing helpful about moving a soul from Heaven to Hell. Each text describes soul-channeling as an unwilling movement from the afterlife back to the Earthly plane. They’ve been here for hours now and Sonia has a headache. She groans and rubs her eyes. </p><p>Adrian has no luck either and sighs out his frustrations, “Everything describes unwilling movement back to earth. One text describes the willing movement of demons but since my mother was neither evil nor a demon it’s not exactly useful.”</p><p>This piques Sonia’s interest. Through the pounding in her head she walks over to Adrian and asks for the text on willing movement of demons. He hands it to her. It’s an old codex written by a necromancer that causes Sonia to gag the minute she gets her hands on it. It falls onto the table with an echoing thunk as she stifles the reflex to vomit by covering her mouth. Alucard is still not used to this and panics, asking if she is alright and would she like some water?</p><p>She nods, trying to catch her breath. Alucard retrieves her wineskin and opens it for her. The water is soothing and she drinks it as if it were wine to wash away her troubles. </p><p>“That book is horrible. The man who wrote it was evil but I think I know what happened.” Things were always getting more and more complicated. “Adrian, I think your mother is in hell because she wants to be. She wants to be there with your father.”</p><p>It almost made perfect sense. No, it did make perfect sense, and Alucard is angry over it. Sonia can see him move from confusion, to acceptance, to rage, in a matter of seconds through the patterns and shadows of his face. </p><p>“Even in death my mother does not get what she deserves because of my father.”</p><p>Sonia grows uneasy. This was not entirely true and it was time Adrian knew about it. “Adrian, I need to tell you about Carmilla. We should probably call Trevor and Sypha.”</p><p>“Call us for what?” Trevor’s skin is dewy but Sypha’s is not. They were sparring and Sypha used magic. Sonia smiles to herself, sparring partners was another layer of their relationship she could appreciate. She wonders what it would be like to train with all of them. </p><p>“Ah, please sit,” she shakes the silly thoughts out of her head, “we have made a breakthrough, I think. But first I have to tell you why I need to kill Carmilla.”</p><p>“Aside from what she’s planning?” Up close, Sonia can see Sypha is tired, it’s also reflected in her voice.</p><p>“I don’t know what she’s planning to tell you the truth. It’s obviously not good but; I think she wants to replace Dracula. To be the new head of the vampire monarchy. She has Hector but I’m not sure why. Isaac is on his way there to kill her, that has not changed, but he has reasons that I couldn’t decipher.” She shifts in her seat minutely. Trevor’s eyes narrow, no else catches it.</p><p>“Do you think it’s for revenge? For Dracula,” Sypha asks. </p><p>“It could be, but his intentions were shadowed. They were shifting back and forth between loyalty to Dracula and loyalty to something else. There wasn’t enough of it present when he spoke with the merchant in Genoa. I have a feeling he’s hiding it even from himself. Either because he hasn’t quite figured it out or because it causes him great pain.”</p><p>Trevor shrugs. “That man is- well, he’s like Dracula, an enigma. Who knows what forgemasters think.”</p><p>It’s quiet for a while and Trevor watches Sonia and Alucard out of the corner of his eye. She gives Alucard curt little glances here and there, her mouth twitching in worry. Alucard doesn’t notice. <em>Oblivious dumbass.</em></p><p>“Sypha, will you come look at something with me really quick?”</p><p>They leave toward the stacks.</p><p>“I am just wondering how Alucard can be such a dumbass. Perfect opportunity to make eyes at each other and he’s sitting there, dumb as a rock.”</p><p>Stifling a giggle behind her hand, Sypha grabs onto Trevor’s wrist to lean into him. He’s warm and sturdy. How she came to fall in love with this man was a surprise to people but it made perfect sense to her. Ever since they first fought together, she knew he was special, a master tactician and champion of the people, wrapped in a rough, drunken layer. She frowns. He does drink too much. They’re working on it, at least.</p><p>“Sypha, don’t tell Sonia I can’t read.”</p><p>The laughter immediately stops. “Why would I tell her you can’t read?” Self-consciousness wasn’t a typical Belmont trait. Perhaps being the only Belmont left that can’t read is making him feel bad?</p><p>“I don’t know. If she asks just, don’t lie to her just change the subject.”</p><p>“Where is this coming from, Trevor?”</p><p>“She has no formal education which means she taught herself to read and to fight. I can fight but I didn’t teach myself and I certainly never taught myself to read…”</p><p>“Are you jealous of your cousin?”</p><p>“No, I just don't want her to think I’m stupid. What if she doesn’t take me seriously when we go against Carmilla and gets hurt? She’s wary about something but isn’t saying it out loud.”</p><p>“Well, she was going to tell us something right now and you think it’s that you can’t read?”</p><p>Trevor tenses, “Sypha not so loud. I mean, I don’t know. She knows things no one else can know…”</p><p>For a second Sypha entertains the idea until she realizes how stupid it is. Why the hell would Sonia care that Trevor can’t read? She’s about to express this to him when another thought occurs to her. This isn’t about Sonia. This is about Trevor not knowing how to read.</p><p>“Trevor, Sonia doesn’t care that you can’t read. But obviously this is important to you so I will teach you, alright?”</p><p>Before he can respond there’s shuffling and the two turn around to see Alucard get up from his chair so violently it falls over. Sypha and Trevor rush over and Alucard eyes are wild, enraged.</p><p>“I will kill her with my bare hands. The three of you are my witnesses.”</p><p>Sonia helps Alucard back into his chair and looks at Trevor and Sypha, “Carmilla is responsible for Lisa’s death. She told the church that Lisa engaged in witchcraft and the Bishop of Targoviste came for her. She knew Dracula was travelling and she knew Adrian wouldn’t get there in time.”</p><p>“All of this is Carmilla’s fault. I will have her head on a pike.” </p><p>It goes on like this for some time until Alucard’s grief moves from rage into sadness. </p><p>“There was nothing you could have done, Adrian.” Sonia places a gentle hand on his arm, over his black coat. </p><p>“Sonia, will you take a walk with me?” </p><p>The question is as sudden and startling as her response.</p><p>“Yes, of course.”</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>The weather is nice, warm and breezy, and they walk for a while in silence. Carmilla’s involvement in Lisa’s death was a shock when she’d first seen it. Since then, all her travelling has been in furious pursuit of Adrian to let him know. Oddly enough, it’s Adrian who breaks the silence.</p><p>“Did you see what- what Sumi and Taka did to me?” He’s hesitant, nervous, looking down in shame again, though Sonia knows he has nothing to be ashamed of.</p><p>“I saw them disrobe and then turned my mind’s eye away from them. I- heard everything. I did not see. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to see.” She shakes her head like she can shake the memory out and destroy it. </p><p>“I should have gone with Trevor and Sypha when they left.” He shakes his head. “It was so nice, having people around again. I didn’t see the threat or perhaps I didn’t want to. They were also hurting from their past. I still can’t believe they tried to kill me. I begged them. I begged them, Sonia. They were obsessed with moving the castle. They thought it could protect their people from other vampires. Sypha destroyed the mechanism; the castle will most likely never move again.” He sighs and covers his eyes with one elegant hand before running it through his hair. “I wanted to thank you.”</p><p>“Thank me?”</p><p>“Yes, even if it was for your sake mostly, I appreciate you keeping your distance from me. It’s made me feel… safe. After I- well, after I threw myself at you I spoke with Sypha and Trevor. Sypha hugged me and it was nice except afterwards… the nightmares I got were- had you, um, accepted my… offer?” He grimaces. “I think it would have been terrible for us both.”</p><p>Sonia nods at him with a soft smile and feels a little more relaxed. It would have been a lie to say she wasn’t worried he would try and do something like that again. She wasn’t sure she could say no a second time and it would end up hurting them both.</p><p>“I know what the nightmares are like. My adoptive parents used to scream at me daily. They never hit me but they did in all my nightmares. I ran away when I was fifteen. My adoptive brother came to my room one night and asked to sleep in my bed. He was twenty. I said no and he left but I never felt safe after. So when I left and was rewarded with new nightmares.”</p><p>“What was it like for you, after you left?”</p><p>She smiles a bit more brightly. This was a topic she could spend hours on. “I found my home. I stayed there for a year learning everything I could. Then I came to the Hold, I took the Rose Thorn Whip, Trevor had already taken the real Belmont whip. Not that I’m complaining.” She pats the whip at her side. “I quite like this one. It’s mine in any case. I gleaned that from my visions. Taught myself to fight by watching myself -which was weird. My only regret is trying to seek vengeance for my family.</p><p>“The seer that worked for the church. I sought him out to kill him. He saw me coming and committed suicide. It’s like I killed him.”</p><p>Alucard stops her by standing in front of her. Still a respectable distance away. “You didn’t kill him. Who knows what would have happened when you got there faced with the seriousness of your decision. You cannot know what you’re capable of until it happens.”</p><p>She nods, wanting to drop the subject, for now. The guilt had been carried for so long she wasn’t sure it was something she could let go, but Adrian is here watching her with eyes filled with concern. It’s nice to be cared about. Knowing things the way Sonia knew them often meant caring for others. It was nice to be looked after.</p><p>Adrian asks if her adoptive family is still alive. “They aren’t,” she tells him, “they died at the hands of Dracula’s night creatures during his purge the year after Lisa’s death.” This, at least, is a welcome transition. </p><p>“Adrian, can I ask you something?” Perhaps it was time to break her own rule. At least for a moment, if Adrian wanted and was alright with it. “I couldn’t find you after your father died.” She doesn’t say after he killed his father. “Your pain was so great it was as if <em>you</em> had died. I couldn’t find you which is why it took so long to get here. Is this a pain you would want to share with me?”</p><p>He frowns, unsure of what she means. “What would it feel like?”</p><p>“I would know what you felt. True empathy.”</p><p>The thought is appalling and reflects as much on his face. “Sonia, why on earth would you want to feel that?”</p><p>She freezes. Was that weird? To want this? To want to empathize? “I don’t want you to feel alone,” is all she says, stunned by his reaction. </p><p>“I don’t want you to know how it feels.” The thought is surprising. It felt like some kind of breakthrough, to not want this pain spread. A few days ago he would have given anything to have someone understand him, but not like this. “My father loved my mother more than anything on this earth. His hatred of humanity was almost quelled and then she was killed. He was so close. </p><p>“My father loved my mother more than he hated humanity… but he didn’t love me enough to honor her wishes or stay behind.” </p><p>The air turns cold despite the summer warmth. At some point they had stopped walking and were just standing there, in the middle of a field bathed in moonlight. Adrian had his mother until he didn’t and Sonia had her not-memories of her family to keep her sane. Now, here they were, families decimated and with only memories to hold them together. But in Sonia’s memories her family loved her and they would have until their dying breath. Adrian’s memories are tainted now. His mother was gone and all the good memories of his father were stained. <em>Do I honor my mother by killing my father?</em></p><p>It’s the first time she sees him cry. Even then, he’s beautiful, remarkable. She can’t carry his pain and she can’t understand it but maybe she can help him heal.</p><p>She takes out a pair of satin gloves from her satchel and puts them on. “Adrian, would it be alright if I held your hand?” She holds her gloved hand out to him and he takes it, knowing his memories are safe from any prying eyes. She’s warm -warmer than him, at least. Dhampirs weren’t cold like true vampires but still colder than most. They intertwine their fingers and Sonia’s other hand comes up to touch his face automatically, like it was something she had always done. The touch is gentle and Adrian closes his eyes at it, lifting his other hand to hold hers against his face. The glove starts to chill a bit where his tears have soaked through. </p><p>The distance between them be damned. It had shrunk to less than a foot now with Sonia holding Adrian the way she’d dreamed and seen, the way he longed for in all the right ways. When his eyes open the instinct to kiss him sets her heart on fire, so she pulls away to just holding his hand. She can’t kiss him, not yet. </p><p>“Even if Carmilla had not- My father would have reacted the same way regardless. I killed him in my childhood bedroom and because he let me. He was so out of it. He spoke to my mother like if she was there, telling her he must already be dead because he was killing their son. It was as if I wasn’t even in the room. </p><p>All my life I had my mother and I thought I had my father. When my mother was taken from me I tried to cling to him but he wanted nothing with me. He was not alone, I would have been there for him, but he left me alone. I was hurting too. She was my <em>mother</em> for chrissakes. She was his wife but she was <em>my mother</em>.” He punctuates ‘my mother’ by stabbing a finger at his heart. “My humanity came from her. My ability to love and trust came from her. I am nothing like my father except I can fight and,” he gestures randomly, “turn into a bat sometimes.”</p><p>Sonia takes his other hand and he looks at her like he doesn’t know what to do, and who would? She does the only thing she can and says, “I am sorry.” </p>
<hr class="castleend"/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was........ difficult. Writing these two interacting with each other is very very hard because it's such a weird situation! They're moving toward something that is going to be exceptionally difficult for me to write but I will do my best.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Beginning of The Work</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I apologize in advance?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr class="castleend"/><p>Alucard is floating. </p>
<p>Through whispers in his ear, Sonia tells him how much he’s loved, that he should let her take care of him. He enjoys being taken care of, enjoys the way Sonia kisses him and makes him feel like he’s the only person in the world that has ever mattered. It’s a warm feeling, like sunlight pouring out from the center of his chest. He feels happier than he has in years -light and airy, and like the whole world is quiet and calm. </p>
<p>Then, of course, he wakes up.</p>
<p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>After their first walk, the four-feet-away rule gets shortened to 2 feet. Though Sonia and Alucard spend time closer than that quite often now. In between learning as much as possible from the Belmont Hold and cleaning the castle out to repair it, the four of them find life to be -quite pleasant, actually. Neither of them can recall a moment where they felt at peace without it being interrupted by something horrible in a long time. It scratches at them and makes them restless.</p>
<p>During dinner one night, Trevor asks Sonia if she's ever fought against a vampire.</p>
<p>“Not an old one,” she replies, “and definitely not a strong one.” Alucard had done a good job of keeping the kitchen neat and orderly and still made them all food somehow. She makes a mental note to stay behind and clear the dishes. There’s some clatter of cutlery and china in the otherwise quiet dining area- normal dinner time sounds. Normal. Normal was strange and foreign. They all think it without Sonia having to touch anyone and know. </p>
<p>She looks over at Adrian sitting across from her and stifles a giggle. For some reason, it’s funny seeing one of the smartest and most powerful beings in Wallachia eat, like it’s <em>normal</em>. Then she catches Trevor rolling his eyes at her. “Don’t look at me like that,” she says, “I’m going to start rolling my eyes every time I catch you making eyes at Sypha.”</p>
<p>He flicks a crumb of bread at her and Sypha laughs, it sounds like wind chimes, cheery and peaceful. Adrian blushes like he’s the butt of a joke he doesn’t understand and apparently decides to ruin the moment.</p>
<p>“We should all start sparring against one another -to train.” The mood shifts and suddenly there aren’t enough lights in the kitchen to keep it bright. “If Carmilla has Hector then she’s using him to build an army, the same reason my father brought him here in the beginning. The longer we wait the stronger they get. We’ll need to move and scout the region.”</p>
<p>They know he’s right, as usual, but the other three still scowl at him. Sonia’s face softens before the others. “Love, we could have discussed this in the morning. Now the dinner is ruined.” </p>
<p>Sypha’s face immediately melts into the biggest wide-eyed grin Sonia’s ever seen on anyone while Trevor stares at Alucard who has gone beet red. </p>
<p>Sonia’s eyes move between all of them, searching for what she’s missed, “What?”</p>
<p>More than happy to explain, Sypha chirps, “You called Alucard ‘love.’” The mood shifts for the second time that night, better than the first and enjoyable mostly to Sypha, though Alucard’s blush and the way the corner of his lip twitches is indicative of some happiness at least. Sonia is mortified, though not on her behalf, as usual.</p>
<p>“Adrian, I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>He stammers, “No need for apologies. I don’t mind it.” Now it was Sonia’s turn to blush and the kitchen is bright again, at least around the two of them. Trevor looks like he’s going to die of second-hand embarrassment while Sypha watches the two like she’s reading a romance novel. “You two are so cute! Isn’t it time for your ‘walk?’” Alucard frowns at whatever Sypha is implying, though he can’t really imagine what it is, and then is suddenly thrown off balance when Sonia graces him with a blushing smile. He wants to kiss her.</p>
<p>Their daily walks are a habit now, always in the evenings after dinner, and now always holding hands. Alucard enjoys Sonia’s company more than he thought he would. He worried it was the loneliness creeping in, at first, but he didn’t feel lonely anymore, not with the three of them here. Sonia made him laugh. And not just polite chuckles or the occasional guffaw when she told a joke at Trevor’s expense, but full-on side-splitting laughter that left one breathless. It was particularly enjoyable to see the pleased look on her face after that happened, like making him laugh was some type of triumph, like the world hinged on her ability to make him laugh and could continue spinning so long as she did so. </p>
<p>It made him feel worth something more than just Dracula’s son. It made him feel like he was at home in his own skin. </p>
<p>They had started chattering about training. Sonia regaled him with accounts of studying her own memories to teach herself how to fight. How odd it had felt and how easy it was, like muscle memory even though she had never done any of those things before. He nods along, just listening. Her voice is soothing and now that they were better acquainted, he’d discovered she was quite the chatterbox. It was nice. </p>
<p>“My greatest advantage has always been my stature. People take one look at me and lower their guard. I try not to count on it, but I’ve only encountered one opponent who took me somewhat seriously despite my size.”</p>
<p>“Oh, really?” Alucard thinks back to their first encounter. He’d also misjudged her because of her size, and he wonders how differently things would have played out had he not done that.</p>
<p>“I think if you would have taken me seriously from the very beginning and not held back, we would have wound up with injuries, so I guess it’s not really a bad thing.”</p>
<p>“It was me?”</p>
<p>She nods.</p>
<p>“Your other fights must have been a cake-walk then.”</p>
<p>She laughs and it sounds like sunshine despite the dark of the night. “They are at first but if the opponent is smart, they pick up the pace quickly. If they’re not, then the mistakes they make early on they pay for.”</p>
<p>“We should spar outright. Well, all of us need to anyway but I’ve fought alongside Sypha and Trevor before. We’ll have to pit you against your cousin and our dear speaker-magician and figure out what we’re working with.”</p>
<p>“I look forward to it.”</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>“We need to get ourselves into a good old-fashioned brawl.” </p>
<p>Sonia was hesitant to agree as she doesn’t want to hurt any of them. Deciding that was a bit presumptuous of her, she agrees. Perhaps sparring against Adrian would be fine but even then... The best way to practice would be against night creatures, preferably a pack of them.</p>
<p>But the area has been cleared out by now. Alucard had made sure of it. There probably wasn’t a night creature within a 50-mile radius of the castle. </p>
<p>Sypha voices this when they’re standing around in the hold one afternoon sorting through the mess. It was going to take a lifetime to fix what was broken here but it gave them something to do while they planned their next step. </p>
<p>“So, what you’re saying is, we can <em>only </em>brawl against one another?”</p>
<p>“Most likely. Unless you want to summon your own night creatures here, I don’t believe we have much choice.” She looks at Trevor and they share a look that Sonia assumes is in relation to what they saw the last time night creatures were summoned.</p>
<p>Sonia sits on the floor cross-legged, looking up at them, and makes a decision. “Okay,” she says, standing and brushing dust off her pants, “let me get some supplies.” Then disappears somewhere within the expanse of the hold.</p>
<p>The trio watch her go, puzzled, but she returns quickly with two leather training whips. “I’m not using the Rose-Thorn Whip on any of you -not even you, Adrian-” she says, when Alucard opens his mouth to say something, “-here.” She tosses a whip to Trevor. “You and I can go first. Winner spars with Sypha.”</p>
<p>“But Sypha and I already spar against one another.”</p>
<p>She shoots him a grin. “So, you’re assuming you’ll win then?”</p>
<p>Sypha laughs and Trevor frowns, sheepish. The only person seemingly unaffected by her comments is Alucard who adds, “Then that winner will spar against me. We should continue in this fashion until we have all had a turn against one another.”</p>
<p>Sonia starts the walk over to an enormous training mat held within the training area of the hold. Trevor shrugs and follows her. When Sypha doesn’t move, Alucard quirks a brow at her.</p>
<p>She gives him an incredulous look, “What if she gets hurt?”</p>
<p>He shrugs, “Then all the more reason to do this here where it’s safe.”</p>
<p>She can’t argue with that logic, so she shrugs as well and follows after them.</p>
<p>Smiling, Sonia stands at one end of the mat holding the practice whip handle in both hands in front of her. The whip was too long for her and looks out of place, but she can make it work. They were enchanted to be unable to break skin but the force of one would mimic a regular leather whip -which was still tame for the four of them. </p>
<p>Trevor stands on the other end of the mat holding his own training whip loosely, his face reluctant. <em>Good, </em>Sonia thinks, <em>I’m counting on that.</em></p>
<p>She gives Adrian a wink as he watches from the sidelines before launching herself upward, swinging the whip around her to gain momentum and then cracking it on the ground in front of her. It forms a straight line from where she’s now kneeling and her cousin’s feet. The whip feels comfortable in her hands; it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t hers. Small as she was, Sonia was not intimidating and though Adrian already knew what she was doing, the other two did not, and Trevor responded to her test just like she thought he would.</p>
<p>The Belmont technique is heavy handed, placing brawn and brute strength at the top, playing to the physique inherent of almost all Belmonts. <em>Almost all. </em>Trevor looks bored as he brings his own whip down in an attempt to hit her across the chest -as Sonia predicted. She dodges easily with a spin move that plays to her agility and dancer’s strengths, allowing her to snag his ankle and pull him down before he even realizes what hit him.</p>
<p>Sypha is laughing again when Sonia walks over to help Trevor up, with a smirk, “I would have told you not to underestimate me but that never works on anyone. Seeing is believing.” </p>
<p>After a few more rounds and it ends in a draw. Sypha runs onto the mat to spar with Sonia giving her all she’s got and wins the match as is expected. Sonia had never gone against a Speaker Magician before. </p>
<p>The main event is watching Sonia and Alucard. Trevor sulks by the edge of the mat when the decision is made, feeling like he lost, and Sypha reminds him this is good -they don’t have to worry about her which they all more or less assumed they would have to watch out for.</p>
<p>Adrian uses a magic practice sword to replace his Crissaegrim, and their one round -that goes on <em>forever-</em> ends in a draw when Sonia snags his leg, brings him down, and gets knocked over on top of him. </p>
<p>Sypha and Trevor were gone by the time they scramble up, having no idea when they left.</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>After a quiet and tense dinner, Adrian asks Sonia if she would like to take a walk, as usual. Their walk today is going to be a surprise. He’d spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning out and readying the greenhouse to some semblance of its former glory. It wasn’t a large greenhouse, by this castle’s standards at least, but it had served its inhabitants well during the peak of its use. There were exotic plants not native to anywhere near here maintained through mostly magical means. Rare desert flowers and jungle trees could grow next to one another without issue. </p>
<p>It’s a beautiful place and Alucard is nervous. </p>
<p>They hold hands with Sonia’s gloves on -for both their sakes- and when he opens the door for her, she nearly gasps. The greenhouse is more beautiful than she had anticipated. </p>
<p>“Oh, my word… I’ve never seen so many different plants in my entire life! This is wonderful -thank you for bringing me here.” </p>
<p>She beams at him and it makes him blush, his mind still preoccupied with their sparring session earlier. Knowing she could hold her own had reassured him, but it also had him feeling something like electricity running through his veins. </p>
<p>“You’re welcome. Would you, um, like a tour?”</p>
<p>“Oh, absolutely!”</p>
<p>They start with the plants at their immediate left, all local vegetation, Adrian explains it was necessary to house these here as his mother’s workshop is right next door. She was the primary caretaker of this place before she died. The knowledge that Lisa Tepes chose to be in Hell with Adrian’s father still looms over them, souring the mood. Sonia squeezes Adrian’s hand gently and he responds with a soft smile, so they continue their walk.</p>
<p>“This was what I really wanted to show you. I, um- created it myself…”</p>
<p>The plot he shows her is covered in red tulips with a large cherry blossom tree in its center. The trunk was woven in an elaborate braid and looked otherworldly as the pink of the blooms blended harmoniously with the red of the tulips. The whole scene was extremely romantic. Under the tree sat a wooden bench that Sonia walks toward as if in a trance. </p>
<p>“This is incredible.”</p>
<p>“Do you… like it?”</p>
<p>“Yes! Obviously, holy shit.”</p>
<p>He laughs. “You really are a Belmont.”</p>
<p>She slaps his arm playfully and graces him with a smile that sends his heart into a frenzied beat. He watches Sonia pass her fingers over the petals of the tulips closest to them, not quite remembering when they sat down. Her voice is soft and musing, “Tulips always remind me of what it means to survive when it feels like the whole world wants you dead. They sprout from ugly-looking, hardy bulbs in the ground and flourish into these delicate beautiful things.</p>
<p> “Adrian?”</p>
<p>He’s staring, transfixed. “Can I kiss you?” He blurts out.</p>
<p>The urge to laugh is sudden but fleeting. In the beginning, it was so hard to look at Adrian as anything less than some kind of God amongst mortals. But he wasn’t. He was strong and powerful, sure, but he was also very human (even if he wasn’t actually human). He ate, he cried, he smiled, he got nervous… </p>
<p>And he was nervous now, here, with her. </p>
<p>The smile she gives him -instead of laughing joyfully, which she is sure would have been misinterpreted- eases his nerves and then she has his cheeks in her hands and is pulling him forward into a kiss that is just -happy. It’s quick and chaste and soft and just a little bit awkward, which suits them just fine.</p>
<p>It takes a second for him to register what’s happened before he’s smiling a big dopey grin that <em>does </em>make her giggle. His golden eyes shimmer in the soft light coming in from the window elevated by the smile he gives her then. “Are you laughing at me? Is that what we’ve come to now?”</p>
<p>The kiss shifted something, allowed a little more in between them, alleviated a little more anxiety, provided a permission that didn’t need speaking. Sonia’s cheeks are hurting from smiling so wide, “Not laughing at you, just- laughing?”</p>
<p>He nods, and then asks hesitantly, “Did you see anything?”</p>
<p>Her gratitude shimmers in the tears collecting in her eyes. “No, the universe allowed me to have this just for myself, it seems.”  </p>
<p>Adrian gestures for her to take his hand, “Would you like to continue the tour?”</p>
<p>She takes it happily, “Lead the way.”</p>
<p>They get about 10 feet before the walkway turns into a set of small steps leading downward. Sonia takes full advantage of their equal heights when Adrian steps down first to kiss him again. It’s more deliberate and definitely less chaste than the first, accelerating until Adrian has her pinned against a tree where it evolves into a full-on makeout session that threatens to turn into something else very very fast. Trying to get leverage on a branch rips through one of her gloves and the contact sends her reeling, nearly causing them to fall over.</p>
<p>She looks at her torn glove and Adrian asks what happened. “Oh, that’s, uh-” She shakes her head and frowns, “We were, uh, kissing on a tree your father gifted to Isaac.”</p>
<p>Now he frowns. “Well that’s a mood killer. Is your hand alright?” He takes it gently for inspection. Her hand was fine, but Sonia was not about to protest the caring affections of her soulmate.</p>
<p>“I will fix this glove for you,” he says, resolutely.</p>
<p>“Oh dear, he can fight and sew? Be still my beating heart.” She gives him a peck on the cheek and lingers there for a second, their minds quickly forgetting the interruption when Adrian starts kissing her again. </p>
<p>Like a set of evil dominoes dead-set on delaying what they both now know is inevitable, Sonia’s mind drifts to where they should take things -meaning, a bed- when a thought suddenly hits her.</p>
<p>“Adrian! Where did Isaac sleep while he was here?”</p>
<p>He stares at her with a sad confusion, so she clarifies, blushing a deep red that’s visible even against her tan skin. “I was thinking about, uh, beds, then realized I can pull information from Isaac’s and Hector’s bedrooms if they are still intact.” </p>
<p>“You were thinking about beds?”</p>
<p>She slaps his arm again and starts walking out of the greenhouse and then pauses, reconsidering. She places a final, hard kiss on his lips, “To be continued,” and then resumes walking with Adrian following close behind her, holding her hand.</p><hr class="castleend"/>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am not good at writing action scenes and knowing I had this one coming up left me disheartened and without motivation. I apologize for the lateness in updates. Things should hopefully pick up soon. Thank you if you are still reading this fic! 💜</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Visions and Progress</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There's sex in this chapter so, yeah. Not explicit. Isaac is in this chapter briefly as is Miranda. The sex that is not plot relevant starts at "and they continue what they started in the greenhouse" and ends at "Wrapped in each other's arms" in case you want to skip it.</p>
<p>
  <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23252743/chapters/59768836?style=disable">Also, there's purple text in this one so please click here if you can't read it.</a>
</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr class="castleend"/>
<p>A familiar eeriness creeps into her when they enter Isaac’s old bedroom. It was always the same, the feeling, like she was an unwelcome intruder. Who would want their innermost thoughts and memories on display for a stranger to see? Surely no one and Sonia herself finds the power more of a hindrance than a boon. Not a single day goes by without an emotional upheaval caused by the visions, tearing into her psyche, and leaving her physically weak and vulnerable. It was never this bad before coming here, before meeting Adrian, finally, in the flesh. </p>
<p>She chews on her lip. She needs a clearer picture of what’s to come -but it could cost her. To touch him is a gamble, a dangerous game of cards where the bargaining chip is her very sanity. And yet they kissed without any consequence. In fact, all her visions of Adrian were through unintentional contact. If she’s deliberate in her touch -is that what makes the difference? The blossoming theory will have to wait.<br/>
Isaac’s room matches her own: a large bed, a large wardrobe, and a large bathing room boasting the same “indoor plumbing” as the rest of the castle. Everything is made of finely carved wood, luxurious and heavy, save for the marble and ceramic fixtures in the bathing room. Given its near pristine condition, one could assume the place hadn't been touched since the siege.</p>
<p>Behind her, someone lights a set of oil lamps. The light on the ceiling is smashed and unusable; clearly the room wasn't left unscathed after all. Sypha hands her a lamp and Sonia gathers the first signs this room has to offer of Isaac’s personality. A bit of dusting and the bedroom could be used again. The bed is made, pillows propped up and fluffed, sheets turned down as if waiting for their previous occupant to sleep here once more... The pitcher set-up on one nightstand mirrors the one on the table at the front: both water vase handles perpendicular to the bedroom door and a single glass by the spout. The writing desk next to the window still had functional pens and writing paper held in place by simple, spherical, glass paperweight. Meticulous. Clean. Disciplined. Everything fits with her previous ideas of Isaac as someone who holds a sense of order and rigid adherence to some type of code she’s yet to discover. </p>
<p>Sypha and Trevor start poking around out of curiosity while Adrian follows close behind her -so close he bumps into her a few times, apologizing profusely.</p>
<p>“Sorry, I’m just- I’m right here if you need me…” </p>
<p>When she smiles at him, the blush that blooms across his unfairly high cheekbones never fails to warm her bones. It feels like a reward every time.</p>
<p>“Okay, okay, you lovebirds, let Sonia get her mojo on,” Trevor complains, walking between them. A bump of his arm against her hand reveals he hasn’t forgiven Adrian his previous <i>-transgressions</i>. Sonia sees the word materialize in her mind as clear as if Trevor had said it aloud.  </p>
<p>With a huff, Adrian frowns. “I guess I’ll just stand between you Sypha from now on, yes? Oh, you don’t like that idea? How come?” </p>
<p>“Piss off, you overgrown man-child,” Trevor grumbles in response, his hand twitching near the Morningstar at his hip. </p>
<p>Sonia looks to Sypha for an explanation. She mouths, “I’ll tell you later,” and Adrian continues to argue with Trevor like they have nothing more important to be doing.</p>
<p>“Oh, <i>I’m</i> the overgrown man-child, <i>Treffy</i>?"</p>
<p>The ladies share twin eye-rolls then make their way toward the wardrobe, leaving shoe prints in the dust and the squabbling men behind. Clothing holds the strongest visions, second to direct contact with flesh for obvious reasons, making the wardrobe the best choice to start with. The ornate iron handle offers a short glimpse of life in the castle:
</p>
<p><span class="sonia"><i>The smell of candles, soft laughter, and… a bark?</i>
    </span>
 
</p>
<p>
  “Huh…” Interesting. The information may be useless or it might not. 
</p>
<p>
  “What is it?” Sypha asks, noticing Sonia's reaction and then lowering her head to inspect the handle. Something clicks and Sypha gives Sonia a look that’s equal parts sheepish and annoyed at her own actions. 
</p>
<p>
  Shrugging it off, Sonia asks, “Did Isaac have a dog here?” He didn’t seem like a pet person in her earlier visions but she’s been wrong about things before.
</p>
<p>
  Sypha shrugs her shoulders. They turn to ask Alucard but he has Trevor in a headlock which brings out another set of eye-rolls and Sypha clears her throat.
</p>
<p>
  “Your attention, please!”
</p>
<p>
  “He started it,” they yell in unison, scrambling around but not letting go. 
</p>
<p>
  Raising her voice like a mother scolding her children, she asks, “Alucard, did Isaac have a dog here?” 
</p>
<p>
  Trevor rubs at his neck like a hurt child when Adrian lets him go to respond.  
</p>
<p>
  “Not that I know of. There were no animals here when we cleared the place out but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take it with him.”
</p>
<p>
  “You saw a dog, Sonia? What kind of dog was it?” Trevor asks very seriously. 
</p>
<p>
  Sonia is already turning back around, opening the wardrobe, but manages to see the pointed glare Adrian throws at him and the affronted look he gives in return. <i>I could get used to this,</i> she thinks, stifling a laugh. Her new family: small but good. 
</p>
<p>
  There are no pieces of clothing inside the wardrobe but a spiked weapon lays on the floor of it, covered in blood. <i>What the fuck?</i>
</p>
<p>
  This time, Sonia and Sypha exclaim, “Oh, Lord,” in unison before Adrian appears behind them, startling Sonia into a jump when he speaks.
</p>
<p>
  “The blood is Isaac’s. His scent is the only one on it.”
</p>
<p>
  The explanation is not much better than any alternatives. She tenses visibly, Adrian’s hand suddenly on her back in reassurance. It's comforting.
</p>
<p>
  “I think I’ll save that for last if I don’t get anything else.”
</p>
<p>
  He nods, placing his free hand on her arm. “I’m here for you.” The touch is warm. Dhampirs weren’t known for their warmth. It takes a few seconds for her brain to register the fact that she’s smiling again, blushing softly and thinking about what this means. The kiss most definitely changed things. They had permission to comfort each other with touch. It’s a little overwhelming if she’s honest with herself, but not unwelcome. It feels right, like a key that’s hit its mark, unlocking the potential that lies beneath.
</p>
<p>
  She heads over to the bed, tugging Adrian along with her, and Sypha joins Trevor who’s grumbling about his neck. Beds were the second-best place for information gathering for similar reasons as clothing. It was so neat even after all this time. She taps a pillow with her index finger and the contact offers something wildly unexpected:
</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia">
    <i>Heat, friction, sweat, tears, lust… love… regret, and sadness, and hurt, betrayal… more tears.</i>
  </span>
</p>
<p>The amount of information passed through such a short contact makes her head spin and she staggers, regaining her balance before Adrian has to do much. He twitches, tensing his hold on her just in case, jumpy, probably because Sonia’s reactions cannot be predicted. Feelings of gratitude and maybe even a little pride at how attuned he is to her swell up inside and she’s blushing again. She’s falling much too fast, tumbling down a tunnel of love that hopefully has Adrian’s arms at the bottom to catch her. Is it safe to fall if it’s destined? She frowns -destiny was a fickle thing- and tries to refocus on the task at hand.</p>
<p>“There’s as much of Hector on these sheets as there is Isaac.” </p>
<p>Trevor grabs the sheets like <i>he</i> can see something in them and Sypha makes a face. He drops the sheets, embarrassed. </p>
<p>Adrian hums next to her, “I’m glad to confirm that suspicion, at least. It means I’m not losing my mind.”</p>
<p>Sonia is mildly surprised. “You can smell them?” He nods. “Even after all this time?”</p>
<p>He nods again. “It’s faint but it’s there, under all the stale air and dust.” </p>
<p>She makes a small noise in agreement. What else could that nose tell them?</p>
<p>“That’s- kind of gross, Alucard,” Sypha laughs. She claps him on the shoulder, “Did I ever tell you about the fire-shitting demon goats Trevor and I killed? Because <i>that smell....”</i></p>
<p>Then they’re all laughing, each for different reasons until Sypha refocuses the group. “Alright, we’ve established that Isaac and Hector were lovers. So the question is: Why is Hector with Carmilla? Why are they not together?”</p>
<p>Sonia thinks the same and tells them as much. “I’m going to need more time with their possessions. I picked up the sting of betrayal but I’m not entirely sure who it belongs to.” She stares at the bed as if trying to figure out how best to attack it and the other three stare at her, waiting. </p>
<p>She squeezes Adrian’s arm to signal that he needs to let go and sighs at the bed, “I feel bad invading their privacy like this but we need information.” She says the words out loud as if seeking permission from a higher power. Visibly reluctant, she touches the bed with both hands and enters a vision.</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia"><i>The primary sensation for this vision is warmth.</i></span></p>
<p>That was a good sign. The last vision that pushed her in this deep was overtly sexual and then terrifying, a very bad mix.</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia"><i>Numerous candles around the room cast a gentle glow over everything inside, the scents of melting wax and something spicy like clove permeate the air. Isaac is breathing heavy, his body over Hector under the blankets, the two of them quite obviously in the middle of an intimate moment, and Sonia glares at the sky in annoyance for how the Universe was trying to turn her into a voyeur. Isaac kisses Hector and then nuzzles his cheek, smiling. “How would you like to finish,” he purrs.<br/>
<br/>
Hector smiles and turns to kiss him then whispers something in his ear.</i></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia"><i>Sonia turns her mind’s eye away from them. Letting go of the vision now meant there’s no telling where she’ll be placed when trying again, but it doesn’t mean she has to invade their privacy any more than she already has. Other seers felt entitled to their visions and all they had to show but the idea makes Sonia uncomfortable. If the roles were reversed and someone had a vision of her showering or something… Well, she hopes they’d be as courteous as she tries to be. 
She keeps her back to them, sees nothing, but hears enough to know Isaac is a caring and attentive lover and that Hector must trust him. They are sweet with each other, giggly and soft, Sonia can practically hear them smiling. It makes her afraid of what caused the feeling of betrayal she’d encountered earlier. She keeps her back to them when they start talking post-coitus.<br/>
Hector muses, “Who knew we’d end up like this after I took your offer to ‘kiss like Benedictine monks’ seriously that day?”<br/>
<br/>
The laugh Isaac lets out in response is quiet and raspy as if he’s not used to laughing. “I’m grateful you did.”<br/>
<br/>
There’s a short pause and then, “Issac, do you think Dracula will kill us when he’s done with his war?” </i></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia"><i>The sadness in his voice is obvious. It doesn’t take a genius to know the Forgemasters hated humanity just as much as Dracula did, but perhaps it was because they’d never experienced this side of humanity before now. She feels bad for them. Had Lisa been murdered when Adrian was young, he might have turned out exactly like his father, exactly like Isaac and Hector, with a hatred for humanity that felt completely justified. Can they really be blamed for their hatred when it is all they’ve known?</i>
</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia"><i>Isaac answers almost immediately, “Yes. I think he will.”<br/>
<br/>
There’s a sound like someone shifting under the sheets and then Hector speaks again, “He promised me not all the humans would be killed but I know he was lying.”<br/>
<br/>
“Does that bother you?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes and no. I hoped he wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it but I find I don’t really care anymore.”</i></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia"><i>There’s another pause, much longer this time. Perhaps they’ve fallen asleep? Sonia waits a few more seconds before glancing over her shoulder. They are not asleep, just holding one another underneath the blankets. They look peaceful but not really happy. </i></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia"><i>Hector's hand grips the sheet tight as if working himself up to something before blurting out, “I was thinking of asking Dracula to let us live here. Just the two of us -together, I mean.”</i></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="sonia"><i>Isaac’s eyes widen but Hector doesn’t see. The amount of love in the room is palpable, Sonia can feel it against her skin like a cascade of silk. There’s uncertainty in Isaac's eyes that fades into a hard, decisive look which seems to be a resounding ‘yes.’ He pulls Hector bodily onto himself and buries a hand in his grey locks to bring their lips together. </i></span>
</p>
<p>Sonia is forced out of the vision, a familiar lightheadedness turning her limbs to jelly. She sways fully expecting to fall until Adrian steadies her, his bare wrist brushing against her hand. “Sonia, are you alright?”</p>
<p>A mistake. The touch, though brief, moves her somewhere in time where she feels blood on her hands, the cold of snow... the air is punched out of her lungs and she struggles to get up, pushing past anyone and anything in her way, her eyes blurred and her mind suffocating until she locks herself in the bathing room.</p>
<p>The power is jarring and frustrating, choosing the most inopportune moments to make her question her goddamn sanity. The images from just now get jumbled and twisted into unrecognizable shapes but the hollow ache in her chest is painfully familiar. The Universe is reminding her why she’s here, grabbing her by the throat with the cruelty of the visions. Her new family and the promise of true love were distracting her. There was no time to bask in this newfound happiness. She needs to complete the work.</p>
<p>Trevor breaks the lock on the door easily and kneels down next to where Sonia is folded into herself, crying. Sypha and Adrian follow suit. It seems they’re not about to let her wallow.</p>
<p>She laughs breathlessly, and their looks of pity and fear turn into confusion. </p>
<p>Her speech is slurred, “In Gresit I was hit with <i>deja vu</i>.”</p>
<p>This does nothing but deepen their looks and Sonia laughs again. </p>
<p>“Sorry. My mind is a bit muddled.” She sniffs. “You know, I have never been afraid of anything, too stubborn to be afraid, I suppose.”</p>
<p>“Must be a Belmont family trait,” Trevor quips. Sypha and Adrian chuckle in agreement and their eyes never leave her. </p>
<p>The marble floor under her body is cold and smooth, like Adrian’s skin in her visions, and when she flinches after touching it they flinch too. </p>
<p>“It’s best to just come out and say it, I suppose.”</p>
<p>Words fail her when she looks into Adrian’s eyes which are so full of concern for her it’s a little embarrassing. It’s him they need to be worried about, not her. She can’t shake the image of Adrian’s lifeless eyes staring into nothingness out of her head, despite looking into the warm honey of them now, bright and very much alive. She reaches out to touch him, settling on his hair and running a soft lock through her fingers. </p>
<p>“If I could switch our places I would,” she whispers to him. He doesn’t turn away or even move, just looks at her with pleading eyes. <i>Let me help you</i> they seem to say.</p>
<p>Shaking, she closes her eyes and tells them the truth. “I was never afraid of anything until I saw Adrian die.”</p>
<p>Trevor claps his hands and gets up, helping Sypha to her feet. “Nope! We’re <i>not</i> having this conversation on the floor of a washroom, no matter how fancy it is.” </p>
<p>“Absolutely not,” Sypha agrees. </p>
<p>Adrian offers his hand to Sonia who takes it, worriedly. They sigh in relief when nothing happens. He laces their fingers together and Sonia feels overwhelmed with emotion. She wasn’t alone in this. They were going to help her and it lets her feel hopeful for the first time in a long time.</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>When they reach the kitchen that now serves as the “family meeting room,” Trevor makes tea. It’s good and strong and chases away the cold dread in her heart as it warms her hands. It was winter, oddly enough, but around the castle was a perpetual summer. They’d need coats and other supplies if they wanted to survive what was to come. There was so much that needed taking care of but it doesn’t feel like a burden or an added worry, just something else that was part of the work.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to die,” Adrian declares, suddenly. Sonia gives him a look which is wholly patronizing and only makes him more stubborn.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to die,” he says again, but with more conviction. “Destiny is what we make of it and I’m not going to die.”</p>
<p>She wants to believe him. “I still don’t know enough about how it happens to help you prevent it.”</p>
<p>Sypha shifts in her seat. “What have you seen? Start from the beginning.”</p>
<p>The dread returns. Sonia takes a deep breath, “Alright. It started in Genoa when I saw Isaac for the first time after meeting the merchant. I learned Dracula met Isaac when he was a teen though not exactly. He’d done some kind of weird time shift magic to bring Isaac to the castle when Adrian was born because the Isaac of that time was a child. Dracula tried convincing him to stay but he was in love with his… <i>“master”</i> so he turned Dracula down. But in that time he held Adrian as a baby and the brief contact intertwined their destinies. Before Genoa, I had only visions of the two of us and my own family which were confusing on their own. Adding another soul and then adding the two of you,” she points to Sypha and Trevor, “gave me a rounder more whole picture but it’s still not enough.</p>
<p>“It’s snowing in Styria now, where we’re heading. There was snow in my vision. There’s always snow in my vision, and the feel of Adrian’s blood on my hands, and the knowledge that I will never again be whole because he’s dead, and the empty look in his eyes... That’s all I get. Ever.”</p>
<p>Adrian pulls her shaking body into his, forgetting himself, and Sonia feels his blood again. She pushes away a little rougher than she meant to and he apologizes. She shakes her head.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to stop it if I can’t see it clearly. Besides, the glimpses I get are extraordinarily painful. I don’t know if I could withstand the pain if I got anything more.”</p>
<p>Trevor rubs his face and groans, “...and it’s not like your power is a weapon we can share like we do everything else.” He looks tired. Sonia supposes Trevor's never encountered a problem he couldn't solve with his fists or that battle-strategic brain of his.</p>
<p>Sypha, who was more experienced in these areas, seems to be at a loss as well. She offers the idea of checking the hold and they tentatively decide to do that in the morning.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Adrian’s face lights up. “Sonia, remember when you asked if I wanted to share the pain of my father’s death?”</p>
<p>She nods, unsure of where he’s going with this.</p>
<p>“Do you think that can be done in reverse?”</p>
<p>“You mean, me sharing my visions of your death, with you?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>She’s never thought about it before. Who would want to see images of their own death? Probably someone who wasn’t afraid of death and refused to die, like Adrian. It was worth a shot and she’s feeling pretty desperate anyway.</p>
<p>“Alright, hold out your palms.”</p>
<p>He does, and the revelation is nothing like they expected.</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>Adrian double-checks the supplies they’ve packed and left by the door. In the morning they were to set off toward Styria and on the way hopefully convince Isaac to help them. It shouldn’t be too difficult now that Sonia has seen what she needs to. </p>
<p>In the meantime, they need to sleep. The journey ahead will be arduous and long and especially taxing for Sonia who is exhausted after enduring an onslaught of painful visions. He watches her sleep and hopes it is dreamless and restful. </p>
<p>After sharing what she could they’d pulled information from Hector’s room and Sonia collapsed. He’d brought her to his room so they could pack and keep an eye on her, and she’d slept for almost an entire day now. It gave him time to think. </p>
<p>Aside from the prediction of his death he’d been able to absorb almost all her memories involving the two of them. There was no physical pain and they’d chalked it up to him being half-vampire. It felt like holes in his heart and soul were being filled in. Memories he’d never had made their home in his mind and felt real the way <i>deja vu</i> feels real. Moments alone in a field of tulips, picnics, family gatherings, funerals, weddings, kissing, sex… </p>
<p>A million lifetimes, each different yet each coming to an end in the same way. No wonder she was frightened. But they knew now. It would be different this time.<br/>
He runs a hand through her hair and she stirs.</p>
<p>“Adrian?”</p>
<p>“Forgive me, my love, rest.” He keeps brushing her hair with his fingertips and she sighs contentedly. </p>
<p>“How can I possibly keep sleeping when you know who I am now?” She sits up and holds his hand against her face, her eyes get impossibly dark. He’s seen that look before, he thinks, <i>Deja vu</i>, and they continue what they started in the greenhouse.</p>
<p>To his credit, Adrian tries <i>very</i> hard not to lose himself completely inside of Sonia which is not easy. It takes an inordinate amount of self-control as she kisses him and wraps her legs around him, her fingers weaving into his hair or running down his back. Every touch of her hands is electric on his skin and feels like healing, and the sounds she makes are enough for him to lose concentration momentarily. His stamina as a dhampir isn’t really being tested, it’s his restraint. The pace they’ve set is slow and gentle. He understands, finally, how an act such as this can be called 'making love’ when his body begs to belong to her, when he’s consumed with the need to make sure Sonia knows he belongs to her in every way. </p>
<p>To make her feel loved and cared for and cherished are primary, though their pleasure seems to overwhelm them easily. They might never have this chance again so he channels those thoughts into every touch and kiss he places on her skin. He needs this, needs her. </p>
<p>He starts kissing her neck to listen to the soft words that leave her mouth. Her hands are tangled in his hair and tighten in enthusiastic approval, goading him with her breathy speech, “Adrian, I love you; I love you so much.” They kiss again and Adrian lets out a moan of approval when she bites on his lower lip. "Sonia,” he pants, “tell me what you want and I'll give it to you, I swear it." Alucard’s restraint is almost broken. Sonia lets out a heady moan right into his mouth; it’s the most incredible thing he's ever heard. Her body is his church and he worships fervently with his hands, his mouth, his- “Adrian,” she gasps, and digs her fingernails into his skin, mouth open in ecstasy. He’d gone harder and faster without thinking but Sonia is enthusiastically receptive, squeezing her legs around him, her knees digging into his sides. She pulls him closer, kissing his lips as if they were the answer to all her prayers. "I see you," she whispers against his mouth, and finally Adrian can say it back. In response, she sobs an 'I love you' in relief and it makes him feel stupid and drunk, needing more and letting his want of her consume him. “Is this what you like,” he asks, -a question that sounds more like begging- slowly coming undone, succumbing to the heat engulfing him inside and out as he buries himself deeper. She screams her approval and he braces himself against the bed, grabbing onto anything he can for the leverage to fuck into her the way he needs, the way he hopes she needs from him.</p>
<p>Sonia cries out in a broken wail, her back arching and toes curling into the mattress. It drives him wild with lust and something else. He buries his face in her neck and chants her name through his climax, kissing and holding her tight against him when he reaches his release. </p>
<p>Wrapped in each other's arms, they sleep like the only death they'll ever allow get close.</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>Miles away, an old Forgemaster sits down to tea with a much younger one. She serves him in thanks for the liberation of her town, though it shall remain empty for a time, and contemplates her role to come in the fight ahead. Her weary bones creak just thinking about the long journey but she gets up to retrieve her old scythe and pipe nonetheless and sets the instrument of her craft on the table.</p>
<p>"A scythe, Miranda?" Isaac sighs in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose. The poor dear just fought an army single-handedly. Exhaustion was his new name.<br/>
She cackles, forgetting there's no one around to accuse her of being a witch. "But of course, what did you expect? Now, drink your tea and sleep. Our reinforcements will arrive soon.”</p>
<p>He nods and drinks, eyeing the scythe with a look Miranda is old enough to recognize instantly as jealousy. She toys with the idea of letting him use it to decapitate that vampire. He’s most certainly earned the right. She takes a hit of her pipe. Maybe he’ll let his lover kill her himself, that would also be appropriate. She throws a blanket over him when he falls asleep in the chair, he’s going to be sore in the morning but there is only one bed and she’d rather die than give up her last luxury.</p>
<p>Besides, they’ll get plenty of rest when this is over. </p>
<p>Some of them might get it permanently.</p><hr class="castleend"/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is probably the most important thing I'm working on which is why the updates are so slow. The next chapter is focused on Miranda and Isaac so the tags will update then despite them being in this chapter because it's only like for five seconds right now. </p>
<p>Let me know what you think, please 💜</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Forgemasters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Miranda helps Isaac come to terms with his denial. And by "helps" I mean she doesn't pull any damn punches.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry this has taken so long! I want to do a good job because this story is really important to me so it takes much longer than any of my other things. The next several chapters have been the most difficult for me, so in a sense, they're all at the same level of difficulty lmao. In the beginning, I struggled because I hadn't really written before and with these next few chapters I know my skill level is nowhere near where I would like it to be for them but alas! We move forward!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr class="castleend"/>
<p>Isaac is sure he's been paralyzed forever the minute he opens his eyes. He shouldn't have fallen asleep like this, he thinks, stretching out his fingers and regretting it immediately. It was far too early for Miranda to wake, he'll just have to suffer through the aches as best as he can. It's no matter. He's known pain far worse than this. He wonders if Hector is in pain right now, what cruelties Carmilla is subjecting him to. He doesn't care, really. Hector deserves it for betraying Dracula. If he'd never betrayed Dracula it would never have happened, simple as that. But his heart clenches and speeds up at the thought anyway, useless as it may be.</p>
<p>Things would have worked out if Carmilla hadn't interfered. That's why he's going to Styria. To destroy Carmilla for ruining Dracula's plan and allowing the waste of humanity to continue poisoning the Earth. Would Miranda die, he wonders? Did she deserve to? She had been kind, given him shelter. But surely she didn't count, what with being a fellow Forgemaster, right? He frowns. He assumed he would die at Dracula's hand once the purge was done, like all humans. So then why is he debating who deserved to live and who deserved to die?</p>
<p>Once he kills Carmilla, would he then continue Dracula's plan to purge humanity? Would he let one of his night creatures kill Miranda? The sea-captain who helped him cross the ocean? The merchant who gave him a gift? Would he kill them himself? Yes, that would be better. They deserved a painless death for being good but death nonetheless for being human.</p>
<p>If Hector is alive, will he kill him too? Hector would welcome it, he suspects. But the thought is -painful, for some reason. Why? They were close once but he'd been betrayed. No, Dracula had been betrayed, so in a sense, he had been betrayed as well, yes? Why does that matter? It shouldn't. It does but it shouldn't. It should not matter.</p>
<p>"So then why <em>does</em> it matter?" Miranda's voice rings out from behind him, rough from years of smoking and rougher still from sleep. "Let me help you," she sighs. A warm pair of hands relax the muscles in his neck and shoulder then turn cool to chase away the pain. "There, that should be better."</p>
<p>Isaac sits up in his chair slowly. "Thank you, Miranda. Did my thoughts wake you?"</p>
<p>She laughs and putters away to brew- something. He concentrates on the sound of her feet shuffling about, the clinking of glass and ceramic -it's soothing.</p>
<p>"Moral crises are always very loud," she says, matter-of-fact like, "Our connection as Forgemasters means <em>your</em> moral crises are a lot louder."</p>
<p>A tray clatters onto the table as she places it in front of him. It wasn't very loud, he's just lost in thought so it startles him.</p>
<p>"You didn't answer my question." She takes her time taking things from the tray and setting them about the table: delicate china cups and an ornate teapot that look out of place here in her home, along with dishes of bread and a bowl of some type of grain cooked in water -oats or rice, he's not quite sure.</p>
<p>"How did you make this so quickly?" He asks, blinking a few times like the food was a mirage.</p>
<p>"Answer my question, Forgemaster, and I will answer yours." Miranda cackles to herself like she just made a joke he wouldn't understand, which happens to be the truth.</p>
<p>He eats a spoonful from his bowl -it was rice- and doesn't answer. They eat in silence for a few minutes before Miranda asks again.</p>
<p>"If it shouldn't matter, why does it? I know the answer already but you need to say it -for yourself."</p>
<p>He continues to eat quietly, ostensibly lost in thought, and avoiding Miranda's knowing eyes.</p>
<p>"Do you know where I got these dishes from?" She asks, holding the teacup to her lips and smiling. The woman was seemingly made of teasing remarks and knowing smiles.</p>
<p>He gives her sidelong glance because obviously he does not know.</p>
<p>"They belonged to my wife," she says, simply, then sips her tea and places the cup back on its saucer with a care that makes sense to him now. "She was an incredible woman, my wife. On good days I thank whatever higher power," she gestures vaguely, "that she died before that so-called <em>Magician</em> destroyed this place. On bad days, I wish I'd never met her at all, and then I clean all of her belongings I managed to save from the fire that took her and apologize until her ghost forgives me."</p>
<p>She drinks her tea again, draining the cup, and sets it down with a glare that is nothing like her usual vivacity.</p>
<p>"Thank you for the meal," Isaac says, finishing his food and tea, then rising to clear the dishes from the table. "I will be gentle with these unless you wish me not to wash them."</p>
<p>Miranda waves him off, "I trust that you won't break them but you still haven't answered my question. There is a way to mute the connection between your mind and mine. It's easy and takes only a few seconds. I will not be conducting it until you answer my question. While you wash up, think about your answer." Miranda gets up and leaves for her bedroom.</p>
<p>Isaac cleans the dishes carefully, using his hands and warm water only to keep the china from becoming scratched. It was a beautiful set, pure white with a blue foliated design. He'd come across sets like this in the past but never one as carefully kept. It made his scholarly heart sing praises to Miranda and her wife for taking such good care of something so old and precious.</p>
<p>Miranda's question has an easy answer but it's one he has never said out loud. If he'd known making that stupid joke with Hector would lead to where he was now, he never would have said it. His heartbeat accelerates briefly, concentrating on the cleaning helps lower it, helps bring his mind back to worldly things. Miranda emerges from her bedroom scowling with exasperation and rolling her eyes.</p>
<p>"This is exactly the kind of behavior my wife would glare at me for but it can't be helped! Men are useless!"</p>
<p>Isaac scoffs, "How else would you have me clean these? They are delicate and precious to you."</p>
<p>She waves him off again, hobbling closer. "Not that, you fool."</p>
<p>He smiles at her. With the magician dead it was fine to smile; he'd earned it. Soon there would be no time for admiring fine porcelain or smiling.</p>
<p>"Answer my question. If it shouldn't matter why does it? You will run off to Styria with doubts and get yourself killed." She sits down at the table and begins sharpening her scythe. Where was she keeping the materials?</p>
<p>"That's my secret."</p>
<p>"Stay out of my head, Miranda."</p>
<p>"Then answer my question."</p>
<p>His sigh is almost a groan, "I am human and therefore easy prey to- <em>attachment</em>."</p>
<p>"Oh Lord, do you hear that Mei? <em>Attachment</em>. Isn't that sweet?" She continues sharpening her scythe staring into Isaac's eyes in a way he can only interpret as <em>threatening</em>. "If you're going to continue wasting my time don't. Go make yourself useful, or your night creatures, I don't care. We need wood.</p>
<p>"I will go," he says, feeling a little remorseful.</p>
<p>"There's an ax by the door of the woodshed," Miranda calls out as he leaves. The morning is crisp and fresh, a pine-scented breeze rolling off the trees that surround the ghost town. The ax is exactly where Miranda said it would be which pains him when realizing he half expected her to have told a lie. Why would anyone lie about the whereabouts of an ax when needing wood?</p>
<p>How could he be so sentimental when he expects an old woman to lie about something like this?</p>
<p>He grabs the ax and follows a worn-down path in the dirt leading towards the woods. It was quiet here. If he succeeds in killing Carmilla and her legion he could return here. Spend the rest of his days alone and unbothered by the human world and its idiocy.</p>
<p>He could bring Hector.</p>
<p>The thought freezes him in his tracks. This was Miranda's doing, surely. Making him think of things he'd rather not. He rubs his face and trudges on toward a clearing to chop wood.</p>
<p>Was Hector even alive? His heart says 'yes' even if the likelihood is far from that. If he was alive did he regret his decisions? That was absolutely likely. Carmilla was probably torturing him. The log of wood before him is split in half easily. He should chop wood while angry more often.</p>
<p>Or maybe he was in line with her plans? <em>chop</em> Maybe he was truly a traitor to Dracula. <em>chop</em> It didn't make any sense. Had he asked Dracula and been denied? That doesn't seem likely either. Dracula would have celebrated their love-</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>That was it, wasn't it? Hopefully Miranda heard him from out here so he won't have to repeat himself. He'd assumed he would die without ever knowing what that word meant. Some days he still wished he didn't. Hector was- he was <em>so human</em>. Weak, vulnerable, easily manipulated. But he was also kind and sweet. He still had a heart that bled for God's innocent creatures, for infants and animals. He was probably the only human that deserved to be left alive, with or without Isaac.</p>
<p>He groans. Such a fool. Hector had been his perfect undoing. Even throughout the serious matter of ending the human race he <em>somehow</em> found ways to engage in levity, lightheartedness- it was antithetical to Isaac himself. He cringes. Hector wasn't completely to blame, after all. <em>He</em> was the one who flirted first. Asking if they should kiss like Benedictine Monks. Though he didn't expect Hector to say 'only if you're gentle with me, Forgemaster.'</p>
<p>That confused him for <em>days</em>.</p>
<p>
  <em>Was that an offer? Was he joking? Why did he blush after saying it? Why did he run away after?</em>
</p>
<p>Every time they were alone after that all he could think about was <em>being gentle</em> and what that could possibly mean. Hector was gentle. That had been obvious for the moment he met the man. There was nothing about him that said otherwise. His demeanor was soft, demure. Even his work creating creatures from Hell was done artfully like a master craftsman or artisan.</p>
<p>Isaac sighs and sits in the dirt and leans against a tree. He shuts his eyes for a moment, feeling the warm sunshine on his face and eyelids. He was a coward. For all of Hector's 'weaknesses,' the man could not be called a coward. The night they first kissed was all Hector's doing, knocking on his bedroom door, standing there in only nightclothes, blurting out <em>'You've been staring at my lips since that day we were out in the sun together'</em>.</p>
<p>That was fearlessness. Isaac was unafraid of death or physical pain but not brave enough to seek comfort. Not like Hector.</p>
<p>It was nice, kissing each other. Hector was as soft on the outside as his temperament would suggest. His lips were soft, his face was soft, his hair was soft…Getting lost was so easy and everything was chaste- it was pure. He felt pure, for once. Hector made him feel pure and good when Isaac was most certainly anything but.</p>
<p>He opens his eyes and stares at nothing for a moment, then at the wood he was supposed to be collecting. He didn't even ask how much Miranda wanted. Well, if it was not enough he could always come back for more.</p>
<p>Miranda is sitting by the door smoking her pipe when he returns, her eyes trail him as he moves around the house to leave the ax and the wood, and scrutinize him when he moves back into her field of vision. She takes a hit off her pipe and blows a smoke ring in his direction.</p>
<p>"You have my answer yet?"</p>
<p>He sighs, "I am in love with Hector." He doesn't expect the blush that warms his face, and he doesn't expect to feel so humiliated when Miranda cackles at him with a laugh that could only be described as 'witch-like.' "Separate our minds, please."</p>
<p>"Ah, Mei, we got another one," she says to her dead wife, then makes a simple hand gesture and a tingle runs through Isaac's body. "There, it's done." Miranda struggles out of her chair, waving off Isaac's outstretched hand to help, and opens the front door. "Come, tell me about him. I suspect our guests will arrive soon and they are not the type of people who will care about your feelings, seeing as how you almost got them killed twice."</p>
<p>He frowns and follows her inside. "Guests?"</p>
<p>Miranda motions for him to sit at the table and busies herself with making tea. "Yes, we have guests arriving soon who will ask for your help, then there will be arguing. But for now, tell me about this Hector."</p>
<p>His mind spins with the knowledge people he tried to kill would be arriving soon and asking for his help. Who would be coming here? The only reason for anyone to pass through this town would be those traveling to Styria-</p>
<p>"I will not help them."</p>
<p>"Oh, be silent, you fool. You need them just as much as they need you, even if you cannot see it now. It is the only way to save Hector." More tea and bread is served and soup cooks in a cauldron over the hearth. "The food is almost ready, so quit your stalling and tell me about this man you love. I'm not asking out of pure curiosity; I am also asking because it is pertinent to the mission."</p>
<p>He doesn't really see how but Miranda had been right about everything so far. Logically, he knows this is irrelevant but he humors her regardless, staring into his teacup.</p>
<p>"He is a Forgemaster as well. Talented, but weak. Easily manipulated."</p>
<p>"And you want to protect him," she states. Isaac does not hear a question, Miranda knows the answer.</p>
<p>"Yes." He grips his cup tighter in embarrassment but eases his grip just as fast. These cups were precious. "I want to take him away from here where no one will hurt him ever again." He stands and retrieves something from his cloak that hangs by the door. Hector's hammer was left behind during the siege and the coins were missing. "This belonged to him. It was the tool of his trade. I couldn't leave it behind and I think Dracula understood. He threw me into a portal and then tossed the hammer after me.</p>
<p>"Hector was -is, I can feel that he is still alive- he is kind." Isaac smiles despite himself. "When he gets angry he's like a frightened cat -hissing and spitting- small enough that he doesn't seem a threat but with claws ready to lash out. He loves to learn as much as I do. We could spend an eternity just studying old tomes". <em>And studying each other</em> he doesn't add. "I do not know if he will ever forgive me for not saving him."</p>
<p>"Have you forgiven him for his betrayal?" It <em>was</em> a question this time but Isaac knows it's for his sake rather than hers.</p>
<p>"Yes. Dracula lied to him, and I was angry he believed the lie when he was not to blame."</p>
<p>"And why else?" She presses.</p>
<p>"And because he was willing to let the whole world die to be with me."</p>
<p>Miranda stands and pats him on the back as she walks over to the soup. Isaac watches her ladle a serving into a bowl for him and then as she retrieves more for herself. They eat silently and Isaac lets his memories wash over him unimpeded: Hector pointing out facts he'd just learned as they read together, recounting them with excitement. Hector with his little pets, always coddling them or cooing at them. Hector smiling or laughing, eyes bright with cheer. The different ways Isaac's name sounded in his voice, in frustration, or in delight -or in anger…</p>
<p>He'd been a fool to think killing Carmilla was only to avenge Dracula's death and the days that follow give him plenty of time to think.</p>
<p>The heavy weight he'd placed on himself in refusing to acknowledge his feelings was gone. He could move freely, breathe, remember with appropriate joy or anger. In the lonely nights asleep on the kitchen floor, he could lose himself in memories of Hector's soft, brown skin underneath his hands and the scent of his hair. It was always gentle, their lovemaking, and Isaac relished those memories for their gentleness. Their lives had been hard and brutal and punishing, but in bed, they could experience the soft joys of life. They could take their time, never chasing or begging; it was the only heaven they had within their reach, and Isaac was ready to die for it.</p><hr class="castleend"/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think of this chapter. Comments and kudos are always mega appreciated 💗</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Journeys</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The gang heads out to meet with Isaac and Miranda and Sonia has an unexpected revelation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi, apologies for this being so late. What can I say, things are nuts.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr class="castleend"/><p>“Alright, here’s the plan—are the two of you <em>holding hands</em>?” Trevor asks, exasperated. Sypha was off haggling with the innkeeper over the price of stabling their horses or else Sonia knows she’d be here making fun of him for even asking.</p><p>“You and Sypha hold hands all the time,” Adrian says, curt, maybe even a little petulant. It’s cute, and Sonia says as much, smiling when Trevor gags exaggeratedly, nearly making himself cough from the effort.</p><p>“I’m going to get beer,” he declares when his point’s been made, moving toward the bar.</p><p>It was a nice place, as far as tavern/inns went, not too shabby, and with only a <em>bit</em> of disreputable clientele.</p><p>“Trevor, bring food too!” Sonia shouts after him, then resumes making googly eyes at Adrian.</p><p>It’s an effective cover. A pair of men sitting in a shadowy corner had been following them since they arrived to town. First, around the market as they bought supplies for the remainder of their journey, then to this tavern/inn.</p><p>“This is your fault, you know,” Sonia tells Adrian in a cloying manner, pinching his cheek for added effect.</p><p>He pouts again. “It’s not <em>my</em> fault I exude an air of nobility wherever I go,” he responds, in an equally saccharine manner and smiling down at her.</p><p>It <em>is</em> his fault and the smug bastard knows it. And even if they’re playing the role of two love-sick fools with eyes only for each other, they’re also not exactly playing a role. All teasing aside, Adrian’s eyes reflect only the utmost sincerity when he smiles at her and tilts her chin up for a kiss, and Sonia is just as sincere when she kisses him back.</p><p>“The kitchen is closed for the night so the two of you are shit outta luck,” Trevor says as drops himself back into the chair across from them. “Sypha not back yet?” He asks, voice a little lower.</p><p>“Ooh,” Sonia says, folding her hands on the table in front of her, “shall we draw straws on who goes to check? Maybe we can get rid of those two early and actually sleep for once?” They’d encountered the same problem in the last town but the thieves waited until they were ‘asleep’ before trying to rob them at knife-point.</p><p>“You should go,” Adrian says immediately, at the same time Trevor says he will. They frown at each other.</p><p>“Mate, I’m glad you love my cousin and all but could you <em>please</em> keep it in your pants until I’m not in the same room?” He downs his beer and gets up. “I’m going to check on Sypha,” he declares. Sonia takes his hand, also standing, to stop him.</p><p>“My dearest cousin, you are so tired. Please, have a seat and finish your drink. I’m sure my little, feeble self will be alright in your absence.” She widens her eyes at him, trying to pass a message via the gesture she hopes he’s not too drunk to understand.</p><p>If Sonia leaves, there was a higher chance whatever the two men following them wanted to do would be attempted with her rather than with Trevor who was twice her size. Trevor rolls his eyes at her and then at Adrian.</p><p>“Just because you—<em>enjoy</em> watching her fight doesn’t mean—“</p><p>“Don’t worry, cousin dear! I will fetch our dearest Sypha!” Sonia interrupts, loudly, scampering off toward the door.</p><p>Trevor rolls his eyes again and plops back into his chair. “They move yet?”</p><p>“Not yet,” Alucard says. “But they’re definitely going to. One of them is a fucking idiot who keeps looking around to check if anyone is watching and the other one is a bit smarter and has hit him for it,” he narrates, “—and <em>now</em> they’re heading for the door. I’m going out the back.”</p><p>Trevor waves him off, starting into another beer. “Alright, pervert,” he acknowledges, while Alucard chuckles and makes his way out the back door.</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>The night is still and the air fresh. Sonia breathes in the cool, post-rain scent and sighs. Soon, there would be nothing but terror and adrenaline. It’s important to be grateful for what little time they may have left, she thinks, and it sours her mood.</p><p>She perks up a bit at the sound of footsteps behind her. As suspected, the two men were coming to rob her now which meant they’d be able to sleep comfortably tonight. Rounding the corner that will take her behind the inn and toward the stables is when one of them tries it.</p><p>She makes quick work of the first would-be thief with a well-timed elbow to the nose, giving the other man enough time to—run away? She frowns. No honor among thieves. The rose-thorn whip makes the take-down easy with a strike around his ankle and luckily there are witnesses. One takes off to find the law of the town and the two men have their hands bound and are propped against the wall to wait.</p><p>“Well, that was fast,” Adrian says, barely reaching Sonia as she was tying the thieves’ hands together.</p><p>“And also a little boring, yes,” she tells him. Boring was good, however. Boring meant staying alive. Boring meant keeping Adrian longer.</p><p>Sonia frowns at the thought. More and more, happy thoughts are tainted with the tinge of sadness. She fails to school her expression in time before Adrian becomes concerned.</p><p>"What's wrong?" he asks, tilting her chin up to look at him and effectively preventing her from looking anywhere else. He's asked her what was wrong so many times on this trip and every time he asks it's always the same thing.</p><p>"You know what's wrong," she says, for the hundredth time, "it's always the same thing—and I know what you're going to say, it doesn't stop me from feeling this way, from worrying about you."</p><p>Throughout the trip, she'd 'accidentally' left her gloves off numerous times, hoping to catch a glimpse of something other than Adrian's lifeless eyes or his blood on her hands. Every accidental touch failed to comply. Worse, Adrian had caught on to her game and was now wearing gloves himself.</p><p>"I don't know what's going to happen," he says, stroking her cheek with a gloved thumb, "but whatever does, I don't care—"</p><p>"How can you say that?" Sonia interrupts, moving out of his grasp. She does not get far. Adrian pulls her in and holds her tight against his chest, resting his chin on her hair briefly before kissing the top of her head.</p><p>"I am not going to die, Sonia. But if it should be my time, I am beyond grateful to have spent my final days with you, at your side, and with my family."</p><p>He's said this before, of course, and each time it hurts the same as the last. Except, it doesn't have to be this way, does it? She laughs a wet laugh and looks up at those golden eyes and smiles.</p><p>"You're right. You're not going to die."</p><p>He smiles back at her and Sonia keeps the rest to herself. She won't let him die. She'll take whatever death comes for him upon herself instead.</p><p>Once the thieves are taken away and they've eaten what they can, the group separates to their rooms. Tomorrow, they'll arrive at the home currently sheltering Isaac and begin preparations. But tonight, Sonia fully intends to enjoy what may be her last night with Adrian.</p>
<hr class="castlemid"/><p>It only takes five hours to reach the ghost town currently housing Isaac. Sonia is perhaps the only one not surprised to find Isaac and an older woman—to whom the house they arrive at must belong to—waiting for them outside. Everyone stares each other down except for the older woman who speaks.</p><p>"Well that's certainly <em>one</em> way to greet future allies."</p><p>"Yes," says Isaac, "it most certainly is," his tone almost venomous.</p><p>"I was talking about <em>you</em>, foolish child." The older woman takes a long hit off her pipe, scrutinizing her new company. "Well, come on in, no time like the present."</p><p>Sonia glances at her little family, that makes no move to go inside, and rolls her eyes. "Come on, this is why we came here." She scolds them and grabs hers and Adrian's pack and sleeping roll and enters the house, making sure to touch the door frame on her way in.</p><p>It burns. Sonia gasps and flinches away from the wood. "I am sorry about your wife, um…?"</p><p>"Mei. My wife's name was Mei. I'm Miranda," the older woman says. There isn't the slightest hint of shock in her eyes at Sonia's confession.</p><p>Isaac however, draws his brows together briefly. "How did you know what happened to Miranda's wife? If we are to be…<em>allies</em>—"</p><p>"I'm a seer, Isaac, that's what I do, see things. I know why you're going to kill Carmilla, too." Sonia crosses the threshold finally but does not put down her things.</p><p>Adrian takes them from her when he enters, and Trevor comes in after, moving in carefully calculated motions—just in case. The house is small, built only for one, two people at most. It has served Miranda well over the years, but reeks of loneliness much like the castle had when Sonia first arrived. Even with Isaac's presence, Miranda is still lonely, and Sonia understands she does not expect to come out of this fight alive—she may even welcome it—but it is not something she will ever admit.</p><p>Trevor clears his throat. "Right, um, may we stable our horses in your, um, shed?"</p><p>Miranda nods and Trevor nods back in thanks, leaving the house to help Sypha with the horses. A chill passes through Sonia at the same time Miranda turns to look outside. Sypha had put up a protection spell and Miranda and Isaac both felt it.</p><p>"What is she doing," Isaac asks no one in particular.</p><p>"Protection spell," Sonia and Adrian say in unison, earning a quirked brow from Isaac.</p><p>"How sweet," Miranda says, in a teasing tone bordering on sarcastic. "The Dhampir and the Vampire Hunter are in love."</p><p>Surprisingly, Isaac jumps into the conversation. "Fascinating. Is that not against some type of Belmont rule? <em>Thou shalt not fuck a creature of the night</em>?"</p><p>Neither Sonia or Adrian rise to the bait. The same cannot be said of Trevor, who comes back inside with Sypha at that precise moment.</p><p>"Mate, you do realize we're here to—well not really <em>help</em> you, but the enemy of my enemy and all that. Do you really think antagonizing us is the way to go?"</p><p>"How did you know I was a Belmont?" Sonia asks instead. Whatever anyone's feelings about her relationship with Adrian are irrelevant.</p><p>Isaac looks at her like she's stupid and points to the whip at her side. Ah. Looks like she took that bait after all. "Oh, right."</p><p>"So we have two Belmonts, a Speaker Magician, the son of Dracula himself, and two Forgemasters. What an interesting team," Miranda says before cackling by herself. She gives a deep sigh after. "Sit down wherever you can. If you're hungry, there's food. We have several things to discuss."</p><p>There are only four chairs at the table, one of which is already occupied by Isaac who does not move. Miranda serves him a bowl of what looks like some type of stew and pats him on the shoulder, "It's halal," she says before serving some for herself and telling the rest of them to help themselves.</p><p>Sonia makes several observations. One, Miranda's care for Isaac. She wonders if he sees it. Two, Isaac's care for Miranda, which she knows Miranda has seen. Whatever Isaac's plans, Miranda's death will hurt him. Perhaps she was the perfect intervention. Perhaps they won't need to worry about him becoming homicidal.</p><p>Adrian serves two bowls of stew and sets them on the table at the two remaining places, then holds a chair out and stares at Sonia expectantly. Trevor mirrors his actions, pulling out the last chair for Sypha who sits and smiles broadly when he places a kiss to the top of her head. It's all painfully domestic and Sonia has to grip the table to keep from crying.</p><p>The six of them eat in silence with Trevor and Adrian leaning against the wall by the door. When everyone is finished, Isaac gathers the dishes to wash them and the rest of them sit in awkward silence until he's done. Miranda smokes her pipe and just smiles. This is all very amusing to her. When at last Isaac joins them, Sonia breaks the silence.</p><p>"Give me your hand," she says to him. He makes no move to comply, a bored look on his face. "I need to see your future," she prompts, but still he does nothing. There's no time for this. They will need to make a move on Carmilla fast and the longer they waste time, the closer they get to Adrian's death. "Would you like me to tell everyone what the phrase 'Benedictine monks' means to you?" That earns her a pair of raised brows. "Or perhaps you'd like to know <em>where</em> exactly Hector is, or how he's doing?"</p><p>Isaac glowers at her. "You should have led with that," he says through gritted teeth. So he does love him.</p><p>"Well, what can I say," Sonia counters, "I don't particularly enjoy having my soulmate insulted."</p><p>Miranda, unsurprisingly, starts to laugh. "I like this one." She takes a hit from her pipe and then points it at Adrian. "I honestly wouldn't have expected anything less from the person that caught the eye of Dracula's son," she says, which is something Sonia can no longer abide.</p><p>"He is more than just Dracula's son." Sonia maintains a polite tone because they are supposed to be allies and Miranda just fed them all, but that's the only allowance she'll make.</p><p>Miranda smiles at her. "Of course." She turns to Isaac, "What are you waiting for, give her your hand."</p><p>Isaac stretches out his arm with visible hesitation, his palm hovers over Sonia's and stays there. "You will know where he is?" He asks her, seeking confirmation before deciding, it seems.</p><p>"If you love him, I might," she answers. Which is not correct, exactly. Even if he didn't, because their fates are tied she might still see something, but she might also <em>not</em> see something. And if she sees nothing and Isaac spends a few hours questioning his love for Hector then that's just because Belmonts are sometimes petty in their revenge.</p><p>Isaac touches her hand.</p><p>
  <em>Wherever Hector is, it's cold. Freezing cold. He misses the sunlight. He misses the castle. He misses Isaac.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When she finally sees him, he's in a bedroom staring at his hand. Specifically, he stares at ring on his hand with frustrated anger. He stands in the center of the room and stares and stares.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He's trapped. He feels imprisoned. And he also feels dirty in the way Adrian did after <b>those two</b> did what they did. It makes Sonia feel sick again.</em>
</p><p>Then Sonia is forced out. She takes her hand back and turns to look at Adrian who is kneeling beside her. He takes her face in his hands and gives her a once over.</p><p>"What—," Isaac starts, but is promptly cut off.</p><p>Adrian raises a finger at him to wait, never breaking eye-contact with Sonia. "How do you feel?"</p><p>"Fine."</p><p>He nods and tucks a stray hair behind her ear before taking one of her hands in his and they turn to address the table.</p><p>"Hector is alive but is imprisoned. That much we expected. But he also—he misses you." Perhaps Isaac would want to know about the feelings of shame that are currently warring inside him but it's not something for her to tell. "He also wears a ring on one hand and was staring at it with frustration, like he wants to take it off but can't. Does that make any sense to you?"</p><p>Isaac shakes his head. He does not look at her but at his hands on the table. Sonia turns to Miranda who already has a palm up on the table. She places her hand on top and—</p><p>
  <em>Though Miranda does not wield it, Sonia watches as her scythe slits Adrian's throat.</em>
</p>
<hr class="castleend"/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry to cliffhanger you all. I've already started on the next chapter so hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the resolution. Thank you if you're still reading this. 💗</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Beginning of the End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The gang heads to Styria</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I'm a liar? Because it took me, uh, four months to post this chapter? I am very sorry.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr class="castleend"/>
<p>When Sonia is next conscious, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed, yet knows instantly that it is Miranda's, and does not, therefore, panic. Adrian is by her side and lights up immediately when their eyes meet.</p>
<p>"Sonia—no, don't rush to sit up, take your time." He tries to soothe but it's impossible to stay laying down when the answer on how to save Adrian's life is <em>right there</em>.</p>
<p>Sonia scrambles to her feet, fully ignoring Adrian as she rushes out of the room and stops dead at the doorway. The house is empty.</p>
<p>"Where did they go?" she croaks, voice rough from sleep and emotion both. It feels as though she is standing on the precipice of a geyser, anxious and terrified, knowing it can blow at any moment but being unable to step off.</p>
<p>Adrian wraps her in his arms, pulls her into him, and Sonia realizes she's shaking from head to toe. The intensity of it is so strong, the back of Adrian's greatcoat shuffles noisily from where she's gripped it her hands.</p>
<p>"Sonia, what happened? What did you see?" Adrian asks into her hair, and Sonia knows if she could see his eyes in this moment, they would show nothing but the deepest concern. It is not her they need to worry about!</p>
<p>She looks up, her assumption confirmed. "Where is Miranda?" Adrian instinctively tries to smooth the line between her furrowed brows, but on this she will not budge.</p>
<p>While Sonia wouldn't call the vision <em>useless</em>, it had not provided enough information to act on. They'll need Miranda and Isaac in the fight, that much she knows. Truthfully, they'll need a whole army but they weren't going to get that. She cannot ask Miranda to stay behind or to leave her weapon. It wouldn't work. Large events required something equally large to shift them. The only thing Sonia could expect from Miranda leaving her weapon behind would be Adrian's throat being cut by a different weapon.</p>
<p>With a sigh, Adrian acquiesces. "Isaac took them up to the magician's tower. There may be something of use to us there." That is where is placating ends. "Tell me what you saw." Anticipating her move to look away, he cups her face in one unfairly soft hand. "We promised to take care of one another, for all time. I cannot take care of you if you do not let me."</p>
<p>Sonia frowns. She is a Belmont, and as a Belmont, she has killed innumerable creatures and some evil humans. She upholds her name with honor and pride and her strength has never faltered. But if there exists someone strong enough to resist the pull of Adrian's golden eyes, it is not her, and she accepts that weakness with pleasure.</p>
<p>The way Adrian catches her when she jumps to wrap herself around him—with a practiced ease that is devastatingly familiar—the way one of his hands always ends up buried in her hair, the way he says everything so seriously, so decisively, how much care he imbues into each one of his actions…it would truly take someone much stronger than Sonia to resist kissing him, to resist wrapping her legs around his waist and clutching him to her as she forgets herself to the sole task of devouring her soulmate when he looks at her <em>like that</em>…</p>
<p>Adrian, seemingly understanding this is what she needs, responds in kind, turning them around so her back is braced against the wall as their passion engulfs them until they're breathless. When the heat and rough edges of the moment soften, Adrian kisses Sonia once more, gently, entreatingly. "My love, tell me what you saw," he says softly against her lips.</p>
<p>It is easier to say when Adrian is so close she can feel how he is very much alive with every one of her limbs. "I saw what does it. The scythe. Miranda's scythe." He helps her straighten her clothing when she's finally back on the ground and Sonia makes a face. She's seen what Adrian looks like thoroughly debauched but it takes more than a single make-out session to get there, unlike her. Unfair.</p>
<p>"If that's all, I'm sure we can ask Miranda to leave it behind," he says. Sonia's frown deepens but someone else responds before she can.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Miranda says, shuffling the remainder of their group in from outside.</p>
<p>Adrian sighs. "It never is."</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>After Sypha and Trevor assure themselves that Sonia is alright, Miranda forbids them from 'talking business' until after they've eaten. Sonia had apparently blacked out for several hours and was ravenous. She suspects Miranda knows this, and not just from a hunch.</p>
<p>"You're not a seer but, you're more than a Forgemaster, aren't you, Miranda?" Sonia asks. They've gathered around the small hearth, everyone but Miranda and Isaac, and sit on the floor over the furs and bedding brought from Dracula's castle.</p>
<p>"You're not a Speaker Magician but you do wield magic," Sypha adds.</p>
<p>Miranda sits back in her chair, smoking her ever-present pipe, that mischievous glint in her eye also ever-present.</p>
<p>"I'm old enough to have dabbled in much. What I don't dabble in, my wife does." The light in her eyes dims. "Used to, I should say."</p>
<p>Sonia can feel it everywhere, their love. She can feel how deeply Miranda misses her, as well. The walls practically breathe with it, <em>Meiling, Meiling, Meiling</em>… Sonia wonders if someday the castle walls will speak her name, once she's gone and Adrian is left alone. The thought makes her sick.</p>
<p>"Best not to think about that, then. Wouldn't you agree, <em>xiao</em>-Belmont?"</p>
<p>Sonia glares at her.</p>
<p>"Your thoughts are your own, I know, I know." Miranda waves a dismissive hand. "Your thoughts are also extremely loud, louder than anyone else here, save for the Speaker."</p>
<p>Sypha's eyes widen as her head whips around to stare at Miranda who only smiles.</p>
<p>"It's nice being around so much love again. Your future bride has a poetic soul, Master Ţepeş, but I believe you know that already." Miranda claps her hands, "Alright, let's get on with it then," and holds them out in front of herself for Sonia.</p>
<p>The answers were all right here and still Sonia hesitates. What if it can't be changed? What if Adrian is doomed to die despite her best efforts? What if she can't save him? What if she <em>can</em>?</p>
<p>"Never try to answer the question that isn't right in front of you, <em>xiao</em>-Belmont. Therein lies only madness," Miranda says.</p>
<p>Sonia nods once and takes her hands.</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>Miranda gives them all an herbal remedy for sleep. Everyone is tense and nervous but without a proper rest, there's no point in doing anything. They pack everything up in the morning, including all of Miranda's things, and give her a moment to say goodbye to the home she's lived in for the past who-knows-how-many years.</p>
<p>It's over quickly.</p>
<p>"Goodbye, you. Thank you for sheltering me and what I have left of my dearest Mei. The forgemasters will be back for you," she says, patting the front door.</p>
<p>"What do you mean, <em>the forgemasters will be back for you</em>, Miranda?" Isaac asks her, and she promptly ignores him in favor of being helped into the cart by Sypha.</p>
<p>The trip is too short for Sonia's taste but long enough that they can go over their plan until each member of the party has committed it to memory. There can be no mistakes.</p><hr class="castlemid"/>
<p>They change their clothes as they arrive at a village just outside of Styria. Each one of them is too easy to spot and alerting their enemy of their presence would be like handing over Adrian's head. Isaac's army of nightcreatures waits hidden in the trees with strict instruction not to emerge for anything. Not until he calls for them directly.</p>
<p>Then they split up. Isaac and Miranda to one inn, Sypha and Trevor to another, and Sonia and Adrian to a third. In the morning there will be blood. But for now, Sonia makes love to Adrian for what she refuses to be the last time. They lay tangled in one another afterward, Adrian tracing circles on the skin above her hip, but they do not speak.</p>
<p>When she's sure he's asleep, Sonia leaves the bed and puts on her clothes. Her real clothes. She ensures her whip is secure and pulls her hair back into a tight braid then heads out into the night toward the castle.</p>
<p>She makes it to the gate when a pair of vampire guards ask her who she is, why she's come, and if she fears death.</p>
<p>"I have come to speak to the Lady of the Castle," she says. "My name is Sonia Belmont, and dying has never frightened me."</p><hr class="castleend"/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And I guess I'm sorry again for cliffhanger-ing y'all once more. A few notes, in my HC, Miranda's wife was Chinese and so that's why she refers to Sonia as "<em>xiao</em>-Belmont" which means "little Belmont". </p>
<p>We're close to the end of this fic. I had a sudden burst of inspiration now that the trailer for Season 4 is out! Alucard gets a THOT outfit and everything, my goodness. Anyways, thank you all for your patience. I was working really hard on two fics for an event that is about to end which took up all my time. That and school and work.</p>
<p>Next chapter is the last chapter! After that, I'm thinking of just doing like, drabbles so I don't let go of this. Let me know if there's anything in particular y'all are interested in seeing! Hit me up on <a href="https://castlevanian.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/kresilvania">Twitter</a></p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what y'all think!</p><p>Mega thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTurtleFromHell/pseuds/TheTurtleFromHell/">TheTurtleFromHell</a> for beta reading the first chapters. Go check out their stuff! And don't yell at them for my mistakes after like... chapter 2? lmao</p></blockquote></div></div>
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